This War of Mine
by Erithemaeus
Summary: It was a selfish wish, eliminating those who had in turn killed the individuals that I could relate to as friends. But for me, nothing was impossible. For this war of mine has just started, and I would not stop until I see it till the end...or until I die.
1. This War of Mine

[ _This War of Mine_ ]

Let it be known that I do not teach. I simply guide. Teaching involves the sympathetic approach to learning; by using the student's quirks and personalities, one could use those details in order to further the student's growth, and making them grow in all aspects. Guiding however, only refers to a few specific attributes, and essentially involves copious amounts of correcting the student's mistakes until they figure out how to do their objectives by themselves. In this vein, the act of guiding hence requires remarkably less energy than teaching itself.

Which was good for me. I needed to conserve my energy for what's about to come.

"Are you ready for this?" I glance towards the side, seeing a stern older woman look at me with worry. Her normal piercing eyes were softened, shimmering under the light of the stage, and the unnatural hue of viridian managed to snap me out of my thoughts. Indeed, she had asked a valid question: was I ready for this? I had never been much of a people person, much less one who sought to connect with others. It was only due to my team's incessant buggering that I was able to finally speak up for once, and face my problems head-on. For all of my reasoning however, I seemed to notice that I still hadn't answered the question given to me. Was I ready for this?

…No. "I'll try to adapt as it goes." Glynda nodded, turning her attention back towards the stage, where Ozpin had just finished his short speech. Judging by the pensive looks on most of the student body, it would seem that they still hadn't understood his message. Just how pampered were the Huntsmen of tomorrow to be so _innocent_ in today's world?

I wouldn't know. Said innocence had been taken away from me when the desert burned down around me. "Acht, you're up." The voice brings me out of my soliloquy, and I found myself staring into the amber orbs of the Headmaster. His ever-present coffee mug was with him, and a genial smile was on his face, but I knew better. Those eyes reeked of stale warmth – stifling and repressive. They were there to think that you had a choice in his plans, when in actuality your actions had already been predicted long ago. Inside his round glasses, one could see the sharp, well-oiled mind that continued on turning, making plans, back-ups, and trying to foretell future events. He was like his office: smooth, planned…and yet, all so liable to miss a singular detail, like a grandfather clock.

My head comes forward in a nod, and the Headmaster moves to the side, letting me through. I walked, my hardened boots clicking against the dead silence that permeated the room, and no less than five hundred pair of eyes turned towards my direction, all staring at me from different angles. I was tempted to pull out a weapon and start shooting, if only to relieve the stares that were focused on my visage, but it would immediately result in a red mark. One that I couldn't afford to have.

And so, I took a deep breath, exhaling the lungful of air along with my nervousness and fears. What remained was a cold, calculating machine – a computer program that was self-improving, and could complete processes for a long amount of time without accruing any errors. A perfect man– nay, _soldier_. No wonder Ironwood tried to convince me to join the Atlesian Specialists first. He must've thought that I'd get along with stuffy military personnel.

Once again, how wrong were their initial impressions. "My name is Acht." My voice rings through the auditorium, a bass that I only found during my late teenage years. I do believe I had only gotten it after a year in Vacuo, wherein my teammates had looked at me with wide eyes and wondered if I was a spy sent to infiltrate their ranks. A fist clenched inside my pocket, remembering that I was still speaking in front of a crowd, and that I was about to go on another nostalgic trip. "As of this year, I have joined the Beacon staff, and would be teaching the lot of you a special course entitled 'Anti-Hunter Combat'. If you are still here after initiation, then you would most likely attend my class. Good day to you all."

I leaned away from the infernal thing, and strode back towards the backstage, where the rest of the teaching staff awaited me. The green-haired man was joyed by my professionalism. The portly man was telling another story. Glynda had looked at the two men, exasperation twitching her brow, and flexed the riding crop that she held. The Headmaster simply looked upon the scene of two men hugging each other in fear with a glimmer of amusement in his gaze, hidden by another sip of his damnable coffee. For all of the years that I have been here, I haven't been able to find the perfect blend that was synonymous to my previous favorite…

With body leaned back against the wall, I let out a sigh, a drop of cold sweat trailing down my cheek. It had been hard to keep my focus in front of such a crowd. If it were not for the reassurance that the other faculty members were just behind a flimsy door, then I would've bolted out of sight the moment I was called up to stage. That, and the fact that Glynda was watching. Was it weird that I was also cowed by a blonde in this world as well? "Well done, Acht." She praised, coming back from her session with Port and Oobleck, staring up and down my visage with an appraising look. If it were any other people, I would assume that they were checking me out. "Even though you had explicitly said in your resume that you had…speech problems, I would like to praise you for keeping your cool."

"Just another characteristic of a Hunter", I coolly replied, trying to keep the wavering tone out of my voice, yet the way that Glynda's eyes narrowed made me think that I hadn't hidden it as well as I had thought.

"Take your rest. You've earned it", she said after a moment of internal debate, nodding once at me before turning back towards the trio of men. A stormy expression brewed on her face, and her lips turned downward, in what I could assume were the taciturn woman's scowl. "Now as for you three…I do believe that we still have paperwork to do."

I took that as my cue to leave. Getting stuck around filing paperwork was exactly what I was trying to avoid during my first day on the job.

[ _This War of Mine_ ]

"Prove yourself to us."

I sighed, my dark eyes immediately narrowing as I searched for the instigator of these kinds of requests. Soon, I found him– a young man with a hazel pompadour, staring at me with challenging blue eyes, arms crossed, and a cocky smirk on his face. My gaze turned back towards the scroll that I had in my hand, going through the class list until I came across the profile of the cocky student. Cardin Winchester, the heir to the Winchester name. He uses a mace with a dust crystal embedded upon its head, with large Aura reserves and armor to match. His father must've donated much to the Beacon coffers if they allowed him in here in spite of his…personality traits. Since when did I word things delicately? Right, ever since my first year in Vacuo. "Very well."

My hand thumbed across the class list once again, searching for the strongest contender in their year. A few seconds later, and my eyes widened, my lips parting for an instant, and the grip on my scroll tightened. Once again, I let her words run through my head, trying to calm myself down, and after a quick intake of breath, I turned towards the first-year hopefuls that would soon see me in action. "Pyrrha Nikos, up the stage with your weapons ready."

The students were riled up, whispering to one another as the murmurs and the rumor mill started to turn. Said student blinked in surprise, pointing a finger towards her chest in confirmation, and I simply nodded in response. A smile was plastered on her face not a moment later, and she leaped through the stairs and into the ring, kicking up a small cloud of dust in the process. It would seem like she was excited for this fight. A lot of the students were too. But as of the moment, all I could think about was how she looked similar to her sister, and the pangs of guilt clawed their way back once again to the forefront of my mind.

With unconscious movements, I pushed my scroll into the machinery, my Aura registering as nothing more than a few pixels wide. It brought a shock to the rest of the students, and to my co-workers too when they first screened through my resume. The latter still employed me however, seeing as I was still alive even after the world has done its best to kill me. Once again, the voices rose up over the din of my redheaded student unsheathing her weapons, but I ignored the voices as I returned towards my original position and readied a stance.

As expected, it was one that she knew well. "Begin."

Her surprise only lasted for an instant however, as a xiphos was immediately in front of my face, slashing downward in a bronze arc. My arm moved, with a palm covered with a thin yet dense amount of Aura, and the blade was stopped immediately. The force rang through my arm however, and I urged my Aura to flow through my body in response to the strain. It moved like water, with years of training finally making its efforts known as I used its momentum to transfer it towards my feet, where I lightly tapped the ground in response.

A crater formed at that instant, and Pyrrha lost her footing, but instinct kicked in as she had brought her shield upwards and the xiphos shifted into a pilum. Good reflexes, good ability, and good awareness– however, she was still lacking in adaptability, which I aim to impart her today. The pilum stabbed through the concrete, giving her a good footing, and the shield slammed forward with a whistle of air, aimed right towards my face. I ducked, and the shield followed, its dense rim rushing towards my nape. With a single step I advanced, dodging the slam and moving into her guard. Green eyes widened as I grabbed her wrist, and quickly wrenched the pilum out of her hand, once again putting her in a state of instability.

Bronze gleamed in the light of the stage as Pyrrha ducked and whirled, with crimson hair flowing elegantly behind her as her pilum met with her shield. Once, twice, thrice did the strikes connect, all in the span of an instant, and green eyes bugged out even more as I used the other end of the spear to wrench her guard open, her shield far beyond her reach. She moved quickly however, and the redhead tried to move in close and throw in a punch. Alas however, her own pilum grazed her cheek, and an instant later the butt of the spear pressed against her solar plexus. She gagged, the air rushing out of her lungs, and a quick sweep to the shin managed to knock her down to the ground, groaning all the while. A gleaming bronze edge was pressed lightly to her neck, and I raised an eyebrow at her. "Yield?"

Green eyes looked at me in surprise, and the silence of the entire room only seemed to enhance her shock even further. I wasn't one who carried the Nikos name, yet I fought using one of their styles – that much she could tell from how easy I had defeated her. Despite making the connection however, she couldn't follow all the way through, for confusion clouded her eyes instead of realization. I sighed, noting to myself that she was about nine years old back then. I doubt she would remember me. Apparently, she took it in the sense that I was impatient for an answer. "Yes."

"Wrong answer." I said, lifting the blade from her neck and giving her a hand. She grasped it firmly, with confusion muddling her gaze as I returned her spear back towards her with a quick twirl. "You could've escaped from that quite easily. Your legs were free to strike my own, or you could've just rolled away and struck. You could also cover your hand in Aura to muffle the blade's edge, and yank so that I may become unbalanced." Her eyes widened, and realization coursed through her as I sighed and tapped her on the forehead. "You are too accustomed to sanctioned fights. Once you're out in the field, there is no such thing as 'yielding'– only death. Now, go back to your seat."

Pyrrha smiled, "Yes, sir Acht."

Tapping her on the back, I turned back towards my audience of first-years, a smirk on my face as the asshole with the pompadour stared at me with shock written all over his face. Cherishing his reaction, I made to gaze towards the list of students, a mock-smile on my face as I 'found' my next candidate. "Cardin Winchester, up the stage. Let's see if your bluster matches up with your actual skills."

His horror was something that I so dearly cherished.

[ _This War of Mine_ ]

The rooftop gave me a space to think, and an avenue to let out my nostalgia. Of course, immersing in the past was never a good thing for it stifles the opportunity to grow, but one could have a healthy appreciation for the past without muddling themselves too deep into nostalgia. It was also the reason as to why I always brought a flask of alcohol for one of my 'escapades'. It helps me black out immediately if I ever go in too deep. A solution that required no hassle, and works quickly and effectively.

For my current bi-weekly trip to the rooftop though, I came across a peculiar scene. One Cardin Winchester, blackmailing a Jaune Arc over his false transcripts. Honestly, once Glynda informed me about the student's registration process, I was tempted to throttle the Headmaster and flinging him out of his office. 'Accept all applicants', she said to me, 'It doesn't matter whether or not the paperwork used to apply to Beacon is fake, since their so-called 'skills' would be proven during initiation.'They werepretty blasé reasons if one was to ask me, and it would just invite unnecessary death towards prospective students.A debate started on what would be the most optimal way to sort through fake applications aside from 'let them in and let them die', and I had to forcefully escort myself out of the faculty office in order to let my temper cool off.

In any case, where was I…? Right, eavesdropping on a student blackmailing another. "Lovely evening, isn't it?" I announced, slamming the door to the rooftop open and seeing the two students in what a fan of homoerotica would see as a pipe dream. Arc was currently being held up by the collar by courtesy of Winchester, and both of them were staring at me with shock on both of their faces. At the same time, the blood paled from their faces, and the thin smile on my face grew even wider. It looked like the bruise on Winchester's arm hadn't healed yet. "Now Winchester, how about you let go of Arc right now, or else we'd be having a wonderful discussion in the infirmary." Winchester was about to move, when I quickly stopped him with a raised hand, "On second thought, let go of Arc _on solid ground,_ please."

A look of confusion flittered across Winchester's face as he released Arc, the blonde yelping while he fell into a disorganized heap. I sighed– the meathead's inability to use loopholes was both concerning and comforting at the same time. "Winchester, see Ms. Goodwitch by tomorrowor you'll be getting an eviction notice plastered on your room."I thumbed towards the doorway leading up to the rooftop, and Winchester seemed to get the message by quickly moving towards the door and sprinting downstairs. My dark orbs turned towards Arc, who promptly began shaking on the spot, and I snorted at his current state.

"Stand up, Arc."I said, my tone uncompromising as the blonde forced himself to stand up. His cobalt orbs locked onto me with a hint of determination behind his gaze, yet I could still see that his legs were trembling ever-so slightly. I smirked, causing his face to pale even more. "Ready your stance. I'll be coming for you in three seconds." He froze in place, with wide blue eyes locking onto me in utter confusion as I started counting down. "Try to survive."

If I were to be honest, his sense of danger was superb. His body froze up, tensing under my intense speed, but it was not enough to dodge as my knee collided with his abdomen. He was shot up in the air with spittle flying from his mouth, and a silent kick in the opposite direction slammed him back to the rooftop. Spiderweb cracks rose from the surface, and Arc coughed up some dust as he began standing back up. Ah, the vaunted determination of a double-edged sword.

"Why…?"He croaked, staring at me with wide blue eyes, and I smirked in response.

"You were accepted in here with fake transcripts." I began, causing the boy to flinch as I sighed and dropped my smirk. My gaze sharpened, and Arc stiffened as well, expecting an attack. Good instincts, but if he were to actually look through my eyes, he would find that I had no malicious intent planned for him…yet. "What you need to do is to _prove_ that you are what the transcripts say you are." I got into a stance, with my left arm hanging loosely and my right hand stuffed into my pocket, "Now, get ready. I'm going to be putting you through absolute hell."

A spark of hope glinted in Arc's eyes, and a thin smile formed on my face in response. My arm was raised, beckoning him to come and attack me, and the blonde took the bait and immediately charged. I sighed; I guess this would be more troublesome than I expected.

His punch was sloppy and poorly executed; I simply grabbed his wrist and yanked him closer, breaking his balance and leading him into the path of my outstretched foot. A yelp escaped as his lips before my arm twisted around to his back, and a quick push slammed him back to the rooftop ground. "Now then", I said, replacing my hand with a foot, "What do you think you did wrong?"

"…I charged at you with no plan in mind, and you were able to trip my foot under me."

"Good. You're learning", I said, a smile on my face as I dragged him up with a hand.A quick tap on the chest was enough to unstable his stance, the blonde taking a few steps back towards his previous position. "Now that I had figured your various shortcomings, I come to learn that I may have bitten more than I can chew." Arc's eyebrow twitched as a small smile formed on my face. Better– it would seem that I would have to guide him through some of his more troublesome personality aspects.

"Now, do it again."

[ _This War of Mine_ ]

Day-offs are important. Without them, Iwould most probably be buried in paperwork that I couldn't help but foist upon Port and Oobleck, and even then they would most likely foist them onto Glynda. I couldn't have that– not when she had barged into my room one day and deposited the paperwork that I was supposed to do on my desk. Why have I chosen this profession again? It doesn't make would I willingly expose myself to the possibility of more work?

With a sigh, I placed an arm over my eyes and lamented my fate. "Professor Acht?"

"Yes?" I replied automatically, removing my arm and restoring my vision. My gaze moved towards the speaker, and I immediately flinched when I found my dark orbs stare into silver ones."Ah", I said, taking a few moments to remember her name. If I do remember, she was the one with the insane combination of a sniper rifle and a scythe. Why the hell would she use that kind of weapon when there were easier and more efficient weapons to use in conjunction with her Semblance I wouldn't know, but to each with their poison? Currently however, said student was currently staring at me with wide, hopeful eyes…and try as I might to become inured to the concept of puppy gazes, I always fail. "Ruby Rose…if I do remember correctly. What are you doing here– on a school day, nonetheless?"

It would seem that I had managed to deliver my statement without gushing over her unknown ability to stare at me with puppy dog eyes, and she immediately stiffened for an instant before she started sweating.A gear clicked into place, and I let out a sound of realization. So she _was_ trying to play me after all. Not a bad tactic, that one, but it would seem like I had some kind of innate resistance to these kinds of events. It must've been cultivated when Pyrrha visited the team from time to time. "Uh…We were looking for Blake…?"

"Why?"

My eyes narrowed upon Rose's hesitation. By my interactions with her, I know that she was a stickler for the rules– even breaking some in the first place in order to follow them. She was a fifteen-year-old 'prodigy' that was given special admission to Beacon two years younger than her peers, and so developed a minor inferiority complex to the rest of the people who are currently attending the prestigious academy. It didn't stop her from completely dismantling enemies in battle, but her current mindset would get her killed. If not now, then in the very near future. And if what Ozpin told me about her eyes was right…then she would follow her mother's footsteps _very_ soon.

"…Private team reasons."

"Then you should get back to class", I sternly said, sliding a hand in my pocket to activate my scroll. "It's my duty as a teacher to report you to Ms. Goodwitch if you ever do anything against the rules. Like ditching classes, for example."Rose's face paled, and I immediately held out an arm in front of me to stop her from crashing into me. "Really?" I asked in a flat tone, watching as the fifteen year-old girl began pounding my chest with weak , relatively weak, since I was consciously manipulating my Aura to make sure that her blows wouldn't bruise my body.

I sighed, pulling out my scroll and quickly calling the first number on my speed dial. A few seconds later, Glynda's face appeared on-screen, her scowl telling me of my current mood. My lips pursed, tilting the screen to the side, enough to see Rose freezing in place as her silver eyes met the piercing green ones on-screen. _"Ms. Rose",_ her voice echoed through the line, sharp and to the point, _"I will see you_ and _your team for detention later this afternoon."_

"Yes ma'am!" Rose quickly replied, her voice rising by a few octaves at the murderous glare that the blonde teacher was giving him. I smirked behind the screen, making sure that Glynda didn't see me smiling at a student's misfortune, and after a few minutes of berating the leader of team RWBY about responsibility, priorities, and management, she sent out Rose to gather the rest of her teammates (except the one called Blake) for detention. After she disappeared in a streak of red light and rose petals, I tilted the screen back towards me, an eyebrow raised at her unnaturally stern attitude.

" _Ozpin once again tried to increase the coffee budget."_ Glynda said, and I can't help but close my eyes and sigh, sympathizing with her completely. Of course, having such power at one's fingertips also meant that one could develop some weird proclivities, which I had already completely expected by this point. But to think that the Headmaster's tendencies would involve imbibing large amounts of coffee…Did he even require sleep? _"In any case Acht, I would like to give you my thanks for finding the leader for Team RWBY. They might be good children, but…"_ I raised an eyebrow, prompting her to continue after a few moments, _"…Could I ask a favor from you?"_

My brows furrowed. Glynda was asking for a favor. Multiple ideas ran through my head, but they were filtered out by Occam's razor. I was left with the undeniable fact that she was probably burdened by the Headmaster's paperwork once again, and therefore had no time to search for the missing member of RWBY. "Sure", I said after a moment of consideration, tilting my head to the side as I did so, "Is there anything I need to know about Team RWBY's missing member?"

Glynda stayed silent for a few moments, before she spoke up and promptly shut the line. _"Blake Belladonna, a member of Team RWBY, was once a member of the White Fang."_

I heaved an exasperated sigh. Truly, my plan to just live out the rest of this life as a simple professor was being torn to shreds. Most likely, it would be _her_ fault that all of these events were currently happening. With that thought in mind, I took a deep breath, recalling all of the plans that I had made through the years, and slowly relaxed as my joints loosened up. I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose, and began walking towardsthe one place that could give me answers.

A warehouse by the side of the ocean.

[ _This War of Mine_ ]

"All of you…are idiots." I managed to wheeze out, taking stock of the various injuries that I had gathered from the blast. My skin was blistering, and some of my clothes were blackened to ash, with some small fires being put out relatively easily by tapping on them a few times. I kept my gaze on the person standing a few meters in front of me, twirling his cane in a practiced gesture and a tip of his hat, and I begrudgingly acknowledged him with a nod.I glanced back towards the rest of Team RWBY, all of whom were currently sporting various injuries brought upon by the various thugs that the White Fang uses for its operations. "What was the first lesson that I pounded into your heads!?"

"But Blake was–"

"ANSWER THE QUESTION, MS. ROSE!"

"Hey! You don't just scream at her like that!"By that tone of voice, it would seem like Ms. Xiao Long had been the one to reply. But it wasn't what I was currently angry about. What I _was_ angry about was the fact that they hadn't prioritized the current threats to their situation, and allowed their concern for their friend for _Roman Torchwick out of all people_ to get the drop on them!

"Xiao Long, I'm not talking to you. _Shut up._ "

"No, _you_ shut up–"

"You entered into a combat situation with a veteran criminal that had Hunter training." I was able to school my voice into a stern expression now. Cold and foreboding, just like the copious amounts of punishments that Glynda would surely give to them later. "All of you risked your lives for a stray lead–" I silenced any opposing statements with a glare, "–For a single comrade. I am both appalled by your stupidity…and am proud of your commitment to your team." Once again, I glared at the gathered first-year team. True, theoretically they might be the best team alongside JNPR, but when it comes to real-world situations, they would easily get demolished by even a simple thief. They were not ready for this…Then again, we never were.

"Go, and contact the local authorities. _Now_. And if I ever hear you dally in your duty…" I left the last part unsaid, but the quick exit of the first-year team already told me enough of what they thought. A part of me was elated that I could become like Glynda from time to time, but there was another part of me that thought of manipulating others through fear was wrong. For fear only made them more desperate, and more willing to take risks if they wanted to accomplish their goal.

…Like this man over here. "Done with your little conference with the kids?" Torchwick said with a smile on his face, and I nodded in response. The renowned thief slammed his staff through the ground, his Semblance spreading through the entire dockyard, locking me in here with him…and someone else. "Oh, noticed her, did you?" He said with a grin, and with a shimmer of light, a short woman appeared beside him. 'Woman', not 'girl'– there was a distinction there, my instinct told me. For what I saw beside Torchwick was a trained and experienced killer. I didn't know how Torchwick managed to recruit her to his side, but if she weren't enough to lift Roman himself out of his situation, then… "Neo, meet Acht. Acht, meet Neo– my latest tag-along."

The woman sent me a short wave, and I replied with a nod. She was too much like Ornus in personality…Perhaps it was the reason why Roman took her in? "So she's your little messenger and hitman." I sighed, pulling out a slip of paper from my wallet and waving it in the lights of the dockyard. "In any case, I got your message. I assumed that she was the one who 'delivered' it", the woman called Neo nodded, and I relaxed ever-so slightly. It would seem that she was neutral…for now, that is. "And you said that you need a favor?"

"A big one, actually", Roman said, a grin forming on his face as he leaned forward, shifting his weight on the cane, "I was hoping that you could…get me out of the little rut that I found myself in. You're the tactician, after all– you were supposed to do this job in the first place."

I sighed. Sometimes I hated Roman not because of his overall eccentricity and penchant for kleptomania, but because he liked to rub it in people's faces when he's correct about a given situation."Fine", I said with a roll of my eyes, "I technically can't disobey an order from the team leader anyways, so I guess I'll just have to make do." My eyes sharpened, with gray orbs pointedly staring at Roman, with all traces of humor gone from my tone or expression. "Now, tell me everything."

Roman smiled even wider. "…Gladly. Remember that communique that we had during the second semester in our first year?"

My throat released a groan, reaching for the dagger currently sheathed behind my back. As much as I'd like to think that our communication measures were foolproof, one could not deny that sending and receiving such messages _hurt_., And usually, it's from the perspective of the receiver.

[ _This War of Mine_ ]

The concept of unfairness is deeply rooted in society. After all, society is made out of humans, who inherently seek their own selfish goals and desires. Therefore, a structure made out of human greed could only produce resources which can be exploited by human greed– currency, power, and the most important of all: _connections_.

It was this reasoning that I had spent the last night going over team RWBY's files in an attempt to understand why the Headmaster hadn't at _least_ put them into suspension for a week. I had received the memo a few hours ago about Team RWBY's 'verdict' in the incident at the docks, and I immediately crumpled it up, torn it to pieces, and used some Fire Dust to make sure that I would _never_ see such a thing ever again. Glynda seemed to agree too, if the way that she pounded her riding crop over the Headmaster's head was a general idea. I also want to say that the last sentence was purely taken with non-sexual connotations.

Back to my train of thought. I did a little bit of digging, and it turns out that the team's members were much more connected to the world than I had ever expected. Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long are the nieces of Qrow Branwen– Ozpin's spymaster and informant amongst the Hunters. Weiss Schnee was the heir to one of the biggest mega-corporations in Remnant, and was sisters with a no-nonsense Atlesian Specialist that was under the direct command of Ironwood no doubt had shared whatever he could find with Ironwood, and some of them may have been distilled through the grapevine. Blake Belladonna was the daughter of the Chieftain of Menagerie, and one of the most prominent supporters of the militant division of the White Fang…until two months fact that she had defected was good, but it could also be seen as a liability due to her inability to use her connections to–

"Argh!"

The sound snapped me out of thoughts, and I stepped to the side to avoid a clean swing from Arc's sword. He didn't stop there however, and quickly changed the sword's momentum to perform a sweep. I gave a brief nod in acknowledgment, hopping lightly with one leg bunched up. Arc had immediately responded– taking note of how I couldn't dodge while in the middle of the air, he slammed his shield forward, intent on bashing me with the heater shield. I countered with a devastating kick to the oncoming shield, sending me back towards where I started and sending Arc on his bum.

Overall, a good performance.

"At last, you're now taking advantage of openings. You also didn't hesitate in continuing the attack when your first plan failed. Your level of adaptability in combat is high, Jaune Arc– don't waste it, because it will be your greatest weapon in the days to come."I moved closer to Arc, seeing him exhausted and panting on a knee, his sword being used as a crutch in order for him to stand. The moment that I was in range however, he brought up his weapon into a quick stab, aiming right for my neck as I placed my left arm in the path of the coming steel. I clenched my left fist, and a shield sprung out from the mechanism inside the gauntlet, letting the sword's tip slide off the contractible shield and leaving him open. Due to his recent accomplishment, I made sure to just tap his side, sending him to the ground due to his lack of physical training.

"That last one…" I hummed, watching Arc furrow his eyebrows at making such an underhanded move. "…Pretending to be exhausted while your opponent moves into your range is a good plan. The problem is your lack of capability to respond to range targets, but I have a feeling that your large pool of Aura would compensate for that." I shot the blonde a glare. My Aura had also been unlocked while I was seventeen and running against a horde of Grimm, but I had always wondered why my Aura pool seemed so low.

It turned out that it was supposed to balance out my Semblance.

"You're improving, Jaune." I said, the young Arc's eyes immediately meeting him by the use of his first name. He was transfixed, seeing a small smile on my face, and I proffered a hand out towards him. "I was the same when I was your wanted to prove himself to everyone, never thinking about the consequences of my actions."Memories flashed through my mind– a deserted room amidst a shower of cherry petals – and I forcefully shut it off. Nostalgia was not needed at this moment. What I need to do was to guide this young man…so that I can prove to myself that I didn't always screw things up. "Remove that thinking, Jaune– it'll only make you angry, to the point that you could barely even recognize yourself. Source: me."

Arc grabbed my hand, and I pulled him up without any issue. "You have a team now; three people to protect. If youwant to prove something– if you want to follow in your family's footsteps, then don't do it for your own ego. Do it for yourself."Cobalt eyes stared at gray orbs, transfixed by the determination in my gaze. I smirked, craning my head to look at the night sky, and promptly began to walk towards the door leading up towards the rooftop.

"Was it from experience?"Arc– no, Jaune –asked, his voice still holding on to the childish lilt of his past. I chuckled, turning back to glance at him one more time, before giving him a smile. One that a few people despised of me, but a trait that I wholeheartedly accepted.

"I guess you could say that."

[ _This War of Mine_ ]

"No…"Faded crimson eyes narrowed, with a hand reaching back to his weapon and swinging it at me. The hunk of steel became a metal blur, before I found its cool edge pressed against my neck. "Acht, I told you to stay out of this. I told you to _stop_. What are you doing here in Beacon?"His words were tinged with anger born out of worry, and I accepted that.I sighed, glancing towards the gathering crowd, and saw a particular duo of sisters steadily moving before gaze moved back towards the man, whose grip on his weapon immediately faltered, and I took a step away from the blade while I began to walk towards the cafeteria.

My gaze glanced back towards the man, whose faded red eyes softened upon the sight of his nieces, but promptly grew agitated at my until now, my foster father was still protective of me. If only he could realize that I was all grown up and could make my own decisions…Granted, said decisions would most likely put me in jail for aiding and abetting a criminal mastermind, but it was a far better alternative than the opposite.

"Acht!"I stopped. The voice sounded familiar to me, as if being whispered by the wind (how poetic), and I craned my neck towards the direction of my voice. Hazel eyes belonging to a woman widened, and immediately sprinted towards me, leaving me with no time to dodge. A second later, she slammed into me with the force of a truck, making me stagger back a few paces while she enveloped me in a bone-crushing hug.I swear I could feel my bones being crushed, if the popping joints were any indication.

Just as quickly as she hugged me however, she pushed me away, letting me see the smile currently plastered on her face. "How are you? I didn't even know that you became a Beacon professor!"Her smile was contagious, yet the dangerous glint in her eyes was not. They were telling me to prepare myself for the inevitable interrogation later.

"It just happened, Amber", I said dismissively, waving a hand for effect. She snorted, a small gust of wind forcing my arms behind my back, and by then I knew that my fate was sealed. "Alright, let's just get this over with, then", I said, my shoulders slumping forward as I was marched towards the Headmaster's office like a was an apt description, seeing as I was a loose cannon that had to be secured at all costs, but I knew that she was just playing with me. As evidenced by the fact that she released my arms the moment we stood in front of the Headmaster's building.

My gaze turned towards her, and she stared at the top of the building before heaving a sigh. "Ozpin and Ironwood are there. Since Qrow is getting…distracted, by his nieces, Ozpin said to just ditch him and just go."I sighed, taking the lead as the elevators swung open, its claustrophobic space allowing me and Amber door closed with a ding, and a brief period of weightlessness followed before we were steadily moving upwards.

"Acht, are you sure about this?"

I blink, glancing towards Amber and seeing her hazel eyes bore into me with eyes closed, letting out a tired sigh that seemed to come deep from my bones, and I subsequently relaxed. Gray orbs opened once more, this time edged with determination. "I am." I said, not even bothering to look at Amber now in fear of showing her my real thoughts. "Everything that I've been through…it has to end. I'm done. The world could burn for all that I cared, and I would want nothing more but to rest."

I was an old soul, given life in a new body. A being of almost twenty years of age suddenly being forced to relive their entire life from the beginning was usually composed of mind-breaking boredom, but I managed to keep myself sane by dreaming about the past. It was an escape mechanism that I always used without fail– a way to calm down my heart whenever it starts aching once again. The nostalgia wears off after a while, but there are always other unforgettable memories to consider. It had kept me sane until today. I would like it very much if I was allowed to do so once again.

The elevator door opened with a thematic ding, ushering me and Amber into the Headmaster's office. Glynda stood to his left, a hand gripped tightly against a scroll, and Ironwood was glaring at me as if I was the one responsible for Torchwick's escape. The moment that I entered the room, I was frozen still by the effects of Glynda's Semblance, and was forced into a seat at the middle of it all. An unofficial interrogation, if there was such a thing like that. All the while however, I simply smiled at the trio, my Semblance already thrumming beneath my skin.

"…I did not expect you to be acquainted with the Fall Maiden, Mr. Acht Branwen."

All in all, it was a good day.

[ _This War of Mine_ ]

"Professor, can I ask you a question?" Pyrrha leaned back, dodging a swing from my dagger that arced through the air. She released her shield, using the free hand as additional support as a leg swept out to undermine my own. I hummed, pulling the trigger on my dagger as the blade extended, catching the redhead's greaves and stilling her movement. I yanked the shortsword upwards, causing Pyrrha to be caught out of position. Using the momentum, she quickly whirled, her xiphos creating a whine of air in its wake from the added momentum. I moved my right arm to intercept, clenching my fist as I did so, and the hidden button was pressed. The metal from my gauntlet whirled, standing to attention almost immediately as the blow bounced off the formed buckler.

I admit, for the half of a year that I had begun in guiding these brats, they seemed eager to learn. Probably, it was because doing so would give them the satisfaction of bashing my face in, but I'd like to think that I was just that good of a any case, I turned back towards Pyrrha, who was staring at me with widened eyes and her jaw slightly ajar."Good job, Nikos. It took you about seven months for you to actually make me pull out a shield, but commendable effort 've all improved by leaps and bounds." I gave her a nod, and glanced towards the rest of the class and gave them a smile as well, "To commemorate this event, I'll permit you one question, Nikos."

The redhead's eyes widened. I do think she was expecting me to deny her request right off the bat. Of course, it would be standard protocol for me to deny such a frivolous thing in classes, but she _does_ deserve some reward for her continued efforts. Who knew what heights I could reach if there was only a carrot instead of a stick at the end of the road…"Professor, can I ask you the question after class?"

My dark orbs were immediately trained on her, noticing the slight hesitation her posture gave. The slight glances that held a hint of nervousness that were trained on our audience, the way that her breath seemed to hitch whenever she wanted to say something, and the way that her shoulders shuddered whenever she trained her gaze on mine could only mean one thing…No, it was definitely not a love confession. I'm almost turning twenty-five, for goodness's sake! That's an eight-year gap between our ages, and most of all–she's under-aged!

"Class is dismissed for today, then", I said, trying not to wince at the flash of a future scolding by Glynda. There was still twenty more minutes before class ended after all, and so she was going to have a hard time reigning in hormonal teenagers that just got off of class early.I glance towards the peanut gallery, who were already filing out through the exit of the training halls, and I could see the rumor mill churning already– no doubt because of Pyrrha's subtle tells. Once again, I could see myself being lectured by Glynda, this time on 'student' propriety and ago-over on the legal and penal codes of Vale. Joy.

The only good thing that I see about this situation is that there's actually a rumor about me being romantically involved with a beautiful woman. The first time in my life, if I do say so myself…Ugh, it still makes me look pathetic.

"Alright, then", I said, walking towards the exit while Pyrrha sheathed her weapons and followed after me, "Ask away. What would you like to ask?" She fidgeted under my stare, and her gaze moved to my right arm, where my gauntlet was strapped around my forearm. "Is it about the gauntlet, then?" I offered, and a tinge of worry flashed through my eyes when Pyrrha remained silent. "Pyrrha…" I began, "What's wrong?"

She kept silent for a few more seconds before she finally spoke up, "…That, Professor Acht." If I was surprised by the steel in her voice, she never showed it. "The way that you fight, and the way that you call my name. The Nikos family, based in Mistral, is prevalent of its use of overwhelming assaults in order to disarm their foes. It was also said that their style revolves around making sure that the enemy received as many hits in just one movement, and emphasizes the act of moving like water.I…went through my family tree, and I never found someone with your appearance."She was insinuating that I somehow knew the Nikos family's style of combat, and I let her continue on with a nod. "Also, you always break your rule whenever you're calling me. Usually, you call the rest of us students by their last name, but you only call me by my first name. Had we…met before?"

I gazed at her, smirking at the narrowedyet determined gaze behind her emerald hand fished inside the inside of my vest, bringing out an old and crumpled picture, wracked with various creases and stains that it had sustained over the years. A brittle smile was plastered on my face as I held out the brittle paper towards her. Pyrrha noticed my expression, and gingerly reached out for the paper. I crossed the doorway, meeting her gaze as she slowly unfurled the folded paper. "I'll give you some time to yourself. Trust me; you'll need it", I said, closing the door as a gasp could be heard from inside the room. Sobbing could be heard from the other room as I began moving away from the door, and I felt like an idiot for showing her the picture in the first place.

For that picture was a team photo that had been taken eight years ago that showed me, her sister, and two other members of my former team smiling at the camera.

[ _This War of Mine_ ]

My Semblance was one that I had discovered during my first near-death experience five years ago. It was also the sort of irony that ran contrary to the current problems that a person had when they had unlocked them. This was a trend that I had observed while flitting through the profiles of my students, who all seemed to be none the wiser of their inner I did when I discovered it was give a bitter smile and remark that I haven't changed at all since then.

Said Semblance was now overclocked, powered by the negative emotions that poured out from my surroundings. My dark orbs narrowed at the veritable tide of darkness from the hole in the ground, a result of the White Fang's attack happening far earlier than one could expect. I could already see Roman slinking away with Neo in the background, using the chaos to escape, but they had already done their part– or at least, played them perfectly until team RWBY came crashing through their operation.

Well, adjustments obviously had to be made.

An arm extended from my pocket, my Semblance working its magic as wisps of dark gray light coalesced into a ball in my palm. The rest of the Grimm immediately perked up, with all of them simultaneously focusing on me as I smirked at them and crushed the surged through my surroundings andcoated the air around me in the energy that courses through my soul. All observers watched as a vortex sprung up all around me, with eddies of Aura forming into a predetermined template of a of blades stood at the ready, their tips pointed towards each Grimm that littered the area.A cloak of blades hung themselves behind me like a prehensile wing, and I refrained from pulling the mental trigger in my head for an instant.

If I did this, then I would be considered as a piece on both sides of the exact opposite of what I wanted. If I flaunted my power for all to see, it would immediately mark me as a person of interest, which would lead to more intrusive questioning about my past records and my origins…Which is what I swore to keep until my dying breath.I had already shared one of my most treasured secrets with Pyrrha; by the time that this whole thing blows over, it was guaranteed that I would have nosy students trying to barge their way into my office.

But nevertheless, I pulled the trigger in my hand, and the blades forged from my soul surged forward in a cleansing gray wave, turning all of the Grimm in the area to black dust.I immediately stopped my Semblance, letting the excess Aura flow back into me as I felt my reserves spike up immediately.I exhaled in relief, a thin wisp of air emanating from my mouth, and I watched as the rubble that formed from the breach of Vale was personally sealed by one Glynda Goodwitch.

Never again. Never again would I just stand by if there were innocents in was my creed– the original purpose that I had formed for myself when I had lived through that period of utter creed sat just below my original priority; one that I strived to achieve if I wasn't too busy enacting my various plans.I stared as the breach was closed up, and Glynda began moving towards me with a purpose to her step.

I sighed, watching as the stern teacher was blind-sided by one excited Rose. "Oh my gosh, that was so cool!"She screamed, and I would've considered her behavior endearing if it were not for the fact that I didn't like the fact that she was screaming directly into my ear while reaching deep into my personal space. By the time that she was already mangling her sentences together, I snagged her by the hood and tossed her back towards her teammates, who caught the brunette as if they were expecting my actions.

"Keep her chained down", I said, much to the rest of team RWBY's exasperation. Glynda finally reached us, her crop waving as the four teenage girls were forced to stand stiffly in attention. "Good afternoon, Glynda", I said neutrally, nodding at her in respect as she stood in front of me. Piercing green eyes narrowed at me in scrutiny, before she huffed and turned around, walking towards the Bullhead ports leading back to Beacon.

I couldn't help but think that I had just dug myself a hole.

[ _This War of Mine_ ]

"Can you share me some stories about my sister?" The voice induced me out of my trip of nostalgia, and I quickly hid the flask of alcohol back into the inside of my vest. I was half-tempted to just explode at her, but her green eyes were too innocent– too virtuous to even notice the flask that I had just stowed away. Arc however, hadn't, but still kept his mouth had something to do about his partner's dilemma than anything else.

I sighed. What was the point of drowning out your sorrows on someone's death anniversary when you're sharing their life story to someone else? "Sit down, and listen", I ordered, pointing towards an unmarred area of the rooftop that we were currently in. "I might as well get it off my mouth before we start, but whatever I say here doesn't come up with the others, alright?" When I saw the two of them nod, I heaved a sigh in relief and brought out the flask, taking a sip of the burning liquor inside. "Good."

The wide stares of two Beacon first-years were a sight to see that I was tempted to pull out my Scroll and take a picture of them, but I decided not to do so. I…need a clear head to make sure that I didn't screw this up. "It all started about eight years ago, when I was a wee young lad trying to make a name for himself as a Hunter", I began, the smirk on my face fading away into a neutral line, "But the man known as Acht Branwen had only been trained for a year under his foster father Qrow Branwen, and thus fell far behind in his peers during the aptitude test."

"Wait, so you're technically Ruby and Yang's cousin?" Arc asked, with wide cobalt eyes staring into mine. I gave a smirk, placing a finger over my lips, and he nodded to keep the small secret silent. I know that he'll give into those puppy eyes soon, however, so I was on a time limit before I was suddenly glomped out of nowhere. Ah well, I needed to let this off _sometime_ in the future, so it might as well be now.

"But they still accepted him into the Vacuo Academy for Gifted Students due to his knack for strategy and logical thinking."Their eyes widened, and I nodded in response. It wasn't my most glamorous moment, trying to convince the board to give me another chance in strategy and tactics. Nevertheless, I braved the shame and pushed on, knowing that I wanted to be a Hunter to…huh.I couldn't remember. Maybe it was already lost from my memories. "And Acht Branwen was assigned into a third-year team as part of his 'internship'. I only got to team up with your sister due to my smarts. And to be honest, I didn't deserve the award."

I tapped my left temple and gave them a depreciative smirk, "Of course, I didn't settle in well with the team. Tyre had been appreciative enough of the new blood, while the mute Ornus kept a cautious glance on me from time to time."Arc looked confused at the names, and Pyrrha dug into her pockets and pulled out the photo that I had given her, showing it to the blonde and pointing the names of the various team members. "The last member though, he didn't appreciate my presence very well. Outright protested against it, no less."

"That member was Roman Torchwick."

For the third time since I started telling my story, their eyes once again widened in shock, and I silenced the two of them with a glare when they were about to speak up, "Remember what I said earlier. Not one bit of this gets out of here, alright?" The two nodded once again, and I continued, "We fought, and the two of us got along well like fire and ice. It took me saving his life from a bounty on his head that he finally pulled the stick out of his ass andbegan seeing my improvements."

"Now, as for your sister, she was the one mainly responsible for 'training', if you could call it that." I said, snorting at the irony as Arc shot Pyrrha a glare that the redhead didn't notice. Ah, so the trait must've run in the family. Good to know. Thank you, Arc, "It's the main reason why I could use them effectively, and counter other users. Thinking did much to accelerate the process of learning her style, but I needed to be tutored from the start in order to do so. It only took three months before I started pulling my weight in the physical department."

I chuckled, once again catching the pair off-guard. Really; I'm a little bit tipsy–did they really expect me to act like a stern, unyielding member of the faculty? If so, then their assumption makes me sad. I'm not Glynda, alright? "Time-by-time however, Tyre would disappear from our radar, saying that she had some sort of 'personal mission' to uphold. So, the rest of us got curious and tailed her. You know what we got? The hardheaded redhead that wouldn't yap about beating my ass was excitedly showing around a little girl on Vacuo's streets."Pyrrha's eyes widened as I shot a finger gun towards her, popping my mouth before taking another drink out of my flask. "Right-o. That was you, Pyrrha."

My gaze glanced towards my watch, its face telling me that it was already close to the designated time. I gulped down the rest of my flask, the tipsy smile on my face now fading into a neutral line as I became fully drunk. "Since I want to preserve your innocence in front of your partner over here, I'm not telling anything else. Now go back to bed you two; I'm going to stay here and knock myself out. If I'm late in my classes, you know where to look for me."

The two blinked and glanced towards one another, but they knew that I wasn't one to be convinced. They stood up, thanking me for my time as they exited the rooftop and began walking downstairs. Once I couldn't hear their footsteps, the alarm on my clock began to blare, and Neo came in with a shatter of glass. Beside her was a finely-dressed gentleman, wearing a white suit and hat, a wide grin on his face while he twirled his cane. "Lovely night today, isn't it Acht?"

"It is", I replied with a smile, handing my flask over to him. Roman took it without so much as a fuss of complaint, and promptly crashed in the spot next to me. Neo sat on the space between us, and downed a gulp as well when Roman finished a gulp. "Moon's still as cracked as ever, humanity's still as shitty as ever, and the only thing that's stopping me from just joining you on your escapades is because I'm still on the trail." Neo tossed the flask back to me, and the two thieves pulled out their own flasks, making me scowl at the two of them while they laughed.

Silence echoed through the still air of the rooftop for a few moments, before I took another sip of my flask and held it out to the shattered moon. It had been an interesting marker that I wasn't where I was supposed to be, but now staring at it just gave me a hint of nostalgia from the past. A lonely classroom. A regal beauty reading a book. A cheerful woman trying to engage me in her affairs. A teacher that wore a labcoat and tutted me as her favorite. A little sister that had my back."I'm close now." I said, my voice hollow while my fingers gripped the flask tighter, "…Here's to the rest of you. Tyre. Ornus."

""For THOR.""

We held our flasks to the night sky, and we drank every last bit of our flasks. The moment I leaned back against the wall and turned towards the thieving duo, Roman and Neo were already gone.

[ _This War of Mine_ ]

The tournament is an opportune time to spread the ideas of peace…and it could also be easily turned around into an affair of horror and despair. This Vytal festival seems to be a bit of both. I have no idea _why_ the festival hasn't been canceled yet despite the Grimm invasion that just happened two months ago, but I'd like to think that the upper-level management for Vale is thoroughly run by brain-dead , I do agree on the sentiment that it includes the Headmaster, considering that he was still doing squat in finding the threat that was literally under his watch.

Currently, I'm stuck on guard duty, watching with my hands stuffed in my pockets as a magical girl in the shape of a young woman rush along the streets of Vale, being thoroughly entranced by the banners and the clutter that littered the festival. It was supposed to be Qrow's shift, but then _dad_ just had to greet his old buddy-slash-friend Taiyang, and so dumped the task on me even though his reason wasn't a valid excuse for such an important matter.

…Or, he just wanted to get away from the crazy Schnee lady who's currently beside me. "And that, is why Qrow Branwen is the most callous, undisciplined, immoral, vulgar, and immature Huntsman that I have ever met in my life. I pity you for being related to him by adoption."

I sigh. As much as I don't want to sound like Qrow, I am pretty sure that the entirety of the Schnee family is composed of uptight, holier-than-thou assholes that needed someone to pull the stick out of their asses. Pride was going to kill them in the line of duty, that's for sure; and with someone like Whitley Schnee being considered to be the heir of the SDC, the once prestigious company had now sunk a whole new low that I hadn't even anticipated.

"Sure", came my reply, and Winter Schnee immediately turned around to give me the coldest of stares. However, another flash of memory came, this one of a black-haired woman doing the same thing, and I found the latter to be more convincing rather than…whatever the Atlesian Specialist was currently , compared to the woman currently in my mind, Winter was nothing more than a puppy. In any case, I avoided her stare by going after Amber, catching the woman's dress by the collar before she could binge on some very unhealthy food choices. Since when did I bother about diets, you ask? Well, I _had_ to have some kind of excuse.

"Amber, can you get that creepy, silver-haired woman off my tail?" I asked, a thumb pointed towards the Schnee on guard duty. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her scowl, and a smirk formed on my own face. Yeah, I could see why Qrow likes to mess with her. Not even a few minutes since we met each other, and she was already wound-up like the launching pads by the cliffs.

"No", she replied, her delight as clear as day while she ignored my plight in favor of gorging down on the food that she ate. I sighed, glancing towards my watch, counting down the minutes before I was done guarding Amber and make out with my veritable sheets of paperwork that Glynda foisted onto me (which was foisted onto her by Oobleck, Port, and the Headmaster) had grown during the past week since the Amity Colosseum arrived. Log-in reports, check-out reports, certificates that allowed someone to hold a stall somewhere in the city…I was reminded of the person that I didn't want to become.

My old self was right; to work _is_ to lose. He just hadn't specified on which aspects of life I would lose in response to work.

"Amber, please." I said, and if my voice sounded like I was pleading, then it was most likely due to my vocal cords straining under the weight of my words, "You owed me a favor. I'm using it right here, right now, so that I won't be paired up with that Schnee."She kept on eating, humming in pleasure once she bit into a chiffon cake, and I grumbled to let my displeasure show, "That's it. I'm spilling it all out to Qrow."

The threat seemed to work, since a wall of wind blocked my path before I even took a step. I smirked, turned towards her, and crossed my arms over my chest. "Oh, what's this? She doesn't want me to butter her up towards the one guy that she's taken a liking to?"Hazel skin flushed at the insinuation, and I dropped the act almost instantly. "Look, even though Qrow and I are at at…odds, right nowdue to my unannounced career change, he's still my father– even if he was the one who adopted me from the orphanage. I'm sure I could put a good word in." I paused, "All I need you to do is to make sure that I won't be bothered by Winter Schnee until circumstances force me to…again."

The Fall Maiden seemed to get the idea, if her sigh as any indication. "For the record", she began, "I could've taken them." It was a lie; I came across Amber once again when one of their attackers was about to unleash some type of Grimm parasite. "Second of all…thank you for that." She turned her gaze away from me, and stared at the various foodstuffs arrayed in front of her. "And third of all, I'd like to thank you for convincing Ozpin to let me out from my temporary lodgings. It's been so long since I've eaten something by my own free will." She pulled out her scroll, quickly typing a few choice words to the Headmaster himself, before pocketing it with a malicious smirk on her face."Now you owe me two favors, Acht."

"Now state your terms", I deadpanned, already used to the routine. She smirked, and I was proud that I could see just a little bit of myself in her. It couldn't change the fact that I was dealing with an _actual_ witch however, and so I needed to pay my dues.

"Now, treat me for today."

As much as my wallet tried to disagree, I ended up nodding in response to her terms.

[ _This War of Mine_ ]

I knew that something was wrong the moment I woke up and my eyes twitched. They didn't do such a thing normally, and the last time they did...It was the day when the Academy fell. It was just a bad feeling to be sure, but I wasn't going to leave things up to chance. Obviously, I couldn't talk to Ozpin about this, or else I'd be strapped to an interrogation table faster than I can blink. "What to do, what to do…"

My thumb brushed over my contacts, and my lips pursed into a thin line. Eventually, I sent a couple of messages to Amber, Roman, and Neo, hoping that they'd get the thinly-veiled hint and do what comes next. Roman of course, still being imprisoned in an Atlas airship, would no doubt get the message from Neo herself. Now all that's left to do is to supervise over the tournament.

Which of course, being in the cargo hold of the Amity Coliseum, meant checking each and every single parcel that comes in from the ports. A thankless job- and one that most likely grinds my gears rather than anything else, really, but an important one nonetheless. Security in Vale was lax, even after the Breach incident, and it only made others more complacent in the apparent 'security' that Atlas provided. Which meant that ones with illegal dealings could come in pretty much undetected. I had already detained fifty people with known affiliations with the White Fang in the past few hours, and I was already tired of hearing their dogma for the nth time.

My eyes closed, a hand pinching the bridge of my nose in exasperation while I rounded another corner. I was now checking the area where the containers coming from the ports were stored, and my eyes couldn't stop itching. It was actually getting annoying, and I couldn't help but rub my eyes every time it happened. Once again, I turned another corner, checking if people were coming onto my position, and immediately brought up my Scroll to check up on the tournament.

Honestly, I didn't want to slack off on the job, but there was nothing to do anyway except for trying to live a banal life. I wasn't going to check up on RWBY- gods know that they don't need the help, and I don't bother to socialize with anyone related to Qrow. No, I was looking for JNPR's performance instead, checking up on Tyre's sister and my little protege. The Arc was already close to Tyre's sister in strength, no doubt due to his ceaseless dedication to work and the grueling training that I foisted onto him, and he might probably give her a good fight now. Just their team match against BRNZ was enough for me to snort as to how it was terrifyingly easy for him to hold off all of their frontliners while the others took the opposing sniper. On their duos, it turned out that both Arc and Pyrrha rammed through their opponents barely even five minutes in.

Currently, I was watching the live feed, which was Pyrrha against an opponent from Atlas. Granted, she was the better fighter of her team, and so it was natural that she be led into the singles rounds...

...The viewing feed changed from the fight itself to the image of a queen piece, berating the Hunters under Ozpin's care. My Semblance spiked up, and my eyes began to pound against my head, causing me to lean against a random container that came in from an SDC shipment from Vale itself.

Just before a clawed arm emerged from inside the container itself, and slashed towards me.

[ _This War of Mine_ ]

I don't teach. Teaching is the act of making sure that you understand your student's flaws, and guide them to be a better person. No, what I had done was just to guide them, doing nothing but urge them on the right direction, and allowing them the freedom to choose their destinations. It turns out however, that guiding people was the best thing that I can do in order to let them grow as people. I was already too jaded; too selfish to care. There was nothing I could do except support them from the backlines with the smile, all the while planning for this very day to come.

Finally, revenge was at hand.

My wish was selfish, I know. But it is this selfishness that drove me to become a 'human' rather than a 'monster of logic' that the others had called me once upon a time. However, it was also due to this selfishness that I had placed the ones that I had associated with to harm...But I won't regret my decisions, nor the consequences that arose from them. I was done with running away from the past; from deciding that it would be better if I were to keep the pain to myself rather than share the burden with everyone else.

I was done letting the most important people to me _die_ under my watch.

"Professor...Acht?" A clash of sparks diverted the obsidian arrow directed towards Pyrrha's chest, the arrow promptly fading towards obsidian dust. I stared into the mastermind of this entire operation to retrieve the powers of the Fall Maiden- one that cost the lives of both humans and Faunus alike. Dark orbs stared into amber eyes, the latter gleaming with some sort of recognition...and a hint of fear. Good. This would be quick.

Aura reserves dropped to their original levels, manifesting as a cloak of blades that stood behind me like servants before a king. I charged, a burst of Aura at my feet allowing me to move past her defenses. My dagger gleamed, striking upwards in an arc of bronze, yet it was quickly deflected by an obsidian blade. Another made way to my liver, and the cloak of blades moved, forcing her to back off lest she be impaled by a hail of blades. "Cinder Fall", I stated, my voice devoid of any inflection while my cloak of blades moved back to their original position. Another blade forged from my soul appeared in my off-hand, and I pointed it towards her. "How lovely of you to orchestrate all of this planning just for me."

She didn't speak. Most likely, she was trying to discern my capabilities. I would give her no time to do that.

Blades surged in a wave of dark gray, hitting different parts of her body at slightly different times. It was a testament to her skill that she had deflected them with nothing but her blades, but it didn't save her from my steel. A mental command surged through the deflected swords of Aura, their directions righted towards their owner's target, and surged forward with renewed vigor. I swung as well, my twin swords managing to scrape her sides while she was busy deflecting the oncoming blades. Her amber eyes swung towards me with rage, and the floating swords around her immediately transmuted into chains that held her in place.

The blade in my hand dispelled, and I pulled out a sleek revolver that was heavier than my sword. I aimed it towards her heart. "A question before you die", I said, a smirk on my face that was on the wrong side of vicious, "Do you believe in destiny?"

Amber eyes glared in defiance, and I knew the answer. The trigger was pressed, and the loud bang of the gun rang throughout the stage of the Amity Colosseum. Her body limped to the ground, the hole in her chest notifying me that it was dead, but I liked to make sure. The chains wrapped completely around her body, leaving just her neck exposed to the cool afternoon air of autumn, and my shortsword raised to cleave. Before I swung, I turned towards Pyrrha, who was watching the scene with a look of horror on her face. My lips pursed, and I spoke.

"You might want to look away."

[ _This War of Mine_ ]

 _"Do you believe in destiny?"_

I reached the top of Ozpin's tower, now ruined by the Grimm dragon that was perched on its peak. My Semblance thrummed in response to my wish, humming with a barely-audible sound that urged me to face it head-on. Roman and Neo hadn't planted the virus into the Command Center for the Atlesian Knights and Paladins, and so they were currently pacifying the Grimm at Vale's walls along with Amber. From here, I can still see the lightning that poured down from the storm above, cutting large swathes across the tide of black that stretched across the horizon.

 _"Why would I believe in such a farcical thing as destiny? It sounds like something that a fatalist would say, something like 'There's no point in doing this because it's all destined for me to do this anyways'. It makes people lazy, incompetent, and unwilling to change things for the better...You know, I'd definitely believe in destiny right now if my destiny was to be a househusband."_

 _"You're still going on about that, Acht?"_

My breath hitched at the sudden influx of memories, causing me to stumble forward. The sound of the pebble hitting against the tiled floor must've been a shockwave in the current situation, since red eyes filled with intelligence opened, and snarled with hate. A smirk formed on my face, more out of nervousness than an assured victory more than anything else.

 _"...Why do you call yourself 'Acht'?"_

 _"From where I come from, it means 'eight'."_

 _"I see. But you still haven't answered the question yet."_

 _"There's nothing to answer about the question, Tyre. It's just one of your musings again. Just go to sleep."_

A hand placed itself over my heart, and I took a deep breath as my Aura flared around me. The sound of the dragon's roar was rendered silent amidst my focus, my soul thrumming against my physical container. Moments passed as I searched deep inside me for the words that I would use in this situation, and I disregarded the thump that barely-registered in my field of vision. The dragon's claws wouldn't hurt me; the amount of Grimm currently in the area made sure that it couldn't lay a finger on me.

Something in me clicked, and I began to speak. The words that would let my soul manifest onto reality. " **For in this moment, you stand against the unwavering tides of your enemies.** "

 _"Come on, Acht. I've already asked this question to Roman and Ornus. You're the only one left that I haven't asked yet."_

 _"How did you even ask Ornus the question? You_ know _he can't speak, right?_ "

 _"...Hachiman, answer the question."_

A pulse echoed throughout Vale, the energy appearing as motes of gray light that slowly converged on my position. Nevertheless, I let go of the minute detail and continued speaking, " **Without your tools and allies, you forge a path through the impossible.** "

 _"Fine...Why are you even asking me this question in the first place?"_

 _"I swear, if you don't stop diverting, then I'd...Alright, fine. You know about the Nikos name, right? Oh yeah, you haven't. Well, you see, every single one of us was trained to be Hunters from the start of our lives. By four years old, we were forced to hold a blade. By six, we would be forced into grueling training by our parents. By twelve, we were facing against Grimm on a daily basis, training our instincts and our skills more out of necessity than anything else. By sixteen, I had enough and left. Far away from my parents, far away from wherever they can find me, and in the last possible place that they could look. But here I am, training to be a Huntress still...So sometimes, I ask myself: Was I never given a choice in the first place?"_

 _"...Destiny is humanity's scapegoat for whenever things don't go their way. It's our way to cope for the injustice that the world gives in response to our problems. This so-called 'destiny' of yours made me the bane and ire of every group associated with me...up until now. So, no. I don't believe in destiny, while simultaneously I accept that the concept of 'destiny' is required in order for us to continue on living. Nobody likes to blame themselves, after all. It's just what we- no, what humans are."_

 _"Always with the wordplay, Hachiman. But, thanks for the answer."_

 _"...Why does it feel like I haven't answered your question, exactly?"_

 _"Hm, answer that question by yourself."_

The motes of gray light coalesced into a single pillar, wrapping around my person like a blanket. It felt warm, almost on the verge of being too hot, but I endured. If I could repay my friend's sister or my protege, then it would most likely by be this. I raised my gun towards the dragon, intent on ending it in one single stroke. "By my **By my blessings to your determination, I stand beside you, and protect thee.** "

My Semblance thrummed to its maximum potential, my Aura skyrocketing as it converted every single presence of Grimm in Vale into my own power. I pulled the trigger of my gun, watching the bullet be coated by my energies as it sheared past the dragon, lighting up Vale's skyline with the light of my Aura. Dull eyes watched as the Grimm dragon roared in rage, lifting its remaining wing towards me, and my eyes pounded into the back of my head, wanting to be released. I sighed as I pulled my glasses down, my dark orbs gaining an ethereal silver hue. Blades of Aura materialized from the saturated air brought about due to my Semblance, and I took a step forward as I brought my blades to bear.

Now that I think about it, a dragon head would make a really good present for Jaune.

[ _This War of Mine_ ]

'It's that power again', Ozma thought, syncing his senses to that of his current host. The young farm boy was currently watching the news on his parent's Scroll, and it featured a gray beam of light that pierced through Vale's skyline. Inwardly, his brows furrowed in thought. He had sensed that same power during the fall of the Vacuan Academy for Gifted Students about eight years ago. For the same individual to show up just before Vale went down in flames...It was no coincidence.

Ozma's eyes flashed gold, an inward determination to search and if possible, recruit this individual. One could only tell what Salem could do with such a person by her side...

[ _This War of Mine_ ]

Salem's eyes narrowed, her frustration leaking into the Seer and causing it to pop like a cherry. That was two. Two of her most vaunted lieutenants, snuffed out like a flame. Her displeasure seemed to echo across the conference room, and both Tyrian and Hazel stood straight, wanting to escape but couldn't. A moment or two passed with the two of them alive, and they both sagged their shoulders in relief.

"Find me the one responsible for this." She ordered, with inhuman red eyes locking onto Hazel's position. "A diplomatic approach to recruit him to our cause would be..most constructive. Beware however. It would seem like this individual had the certain characteristics of Watt's runaway. I would like to punish him for his inability to be thorough with his work, but as you can see-" She gestured around the room, "-he is dead, just like Cinder. Therefore, I would like you to exercise caution when dealing with this man. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Mistress." Hazel said, standing up and making his way out of the room. Salem frowned, summoning another Seer from the depths of her tower, and coerced it to show the events currently happening in Vale. A beam of gray light, strong enough to pierce the clouds and render them meaningless against the power of the Grimm dragon that Cinder had awoken. Another, smaller beam flashed through her vision next, and a white noise pounded against her temple, causing blood to dribble down her nose. Instincts flared, and the Grimm nature in her roared for the blood of the one responsible, but her rationality allowed her to calm down.

"A Silver-Eyed Warrior, in this day and age..." She intoned, her voice growing dark as her gaze snapped to the scorpion faunus. "Tyrian. Search for this individual, and eliminate them immediately. I want you to be thorough and make sure that whoever they are, return their head to me on a pike. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Mistress." Tyrian cackled with glee, before sprinting out of the conference room with haste in his step. Salem could only sigh, moving her gaze out of the window, towards where her dominion once stood, now blackened by the God of Darkness's influence.

Once again, she was alone, in her tower, once more...


	2. His Cynical Mentor

[ _The Cynical Mentor_ ]

I thought that it was over when Professor Acht found me on the rooftop, being coerced by Cardin to work under him. For all I knew, he had been eavesdropping for the entire conversation, and there was no way for me to prove that he did. After all, he could just take my testimony and get me kicked out of Beacon. It was official: I was screwed, whether I like it or not.

"Winchester, see Ms. Goodwitch by tomorrow or you'll be getting an eviction notice plastered on your room." I felt Cardin's grip on me loosen, sending me sprawling on the ground as the taller guy made his way down with a pallid expression on his face. I could still see the bruises on Cardin's arm, and I was reminded of our earlier class with Professor Acht. The sound of an Aura-coated hand meeting against Cardin's armor was still ringing through my ears, and I winced at the imaginary sound of armor being dented inwards. The Professor had a mean right hook, that's for sure…

"Get up, Arc."

"Yes sir!" I squeaked out, and I tried to push myself up while meeting his gaze. Those dark orbs seemed to stare through the depths of my soul, and I was honestly surprised that I haven't wet myself yet. Professor Acht seemed to be one of those no-nonsense people that were like Professor Goodwitch, and so I was actually expecting him to drag me to the Headmaster's office at this hour and force me to sign my own resignation letter. If he was allowing me to explain myself, then maybe I could– Wait, was I flying…?

…Ow. My whole body hurts. I didn't even see Professor Acht _move_ from his position, yet judging by the fact that I got some airtime for a few seconds before being kicked back down, it meant that he had _somehow_ closed in on me while I was distracted, kicked me up into the air, and slammed me back down before I even noticed. In any case, it still hurts.

But if Professor Acht was going to knock me around a few times…I needed to find an escape route. "Why…?"

"You were accepted into Beacon with fake transcripts." He stated, and I involuntarily winced. Of course, I had thought it to be a good idea at the time, seeing as I was desperate in proving that I could be a Huntsman, but…I was out of my league here. _Everyone_ is stronger than me; _everyone_ is faster than me; _everyone_ is _better_ than me. It's as if my only job here was to be the comic relief… "What you need to do is _prove_ your transcripts are genuine."

I blinked, watching Professor Acht drop into a casual stance with one hand inside his pocket. Wait…so I wasn't getting beat up? "Now get ready. I'll be putting you through absolute hell."

…My mind thinks that escaping should be a better priority now. The smile on Professor Acht's face just feels _so_ wrong. But I couldn't jump down from a five-story building and still live, given that I still haven't recovered my Aura from Ms. Goodwitch's class, and I sure as hell can't go through the doorway since Professor Acht was standing guard…You know what? Screw it. I'll take my chances.

Once again however, _ow_. "Now then", the dark-haired professor said, placing a foot on my back as I groaned in pain. There's no need to do that, though, since I literally can't move. Or was he just trying to rile me up? If so, then it's working a little bit _too_ well… "What do you think you did wrong?"

My lips pursed, and my mind flashed back to what I had done a few seconds ago. From a third-person's perspective, it _was_ an idiotic idea– charging a fully-trained Huntsman prodigy in a frontal attack that is. Was…was Professor Acht actually trying to help me? "I charged at you with no plan whatsoever–" Except for escaping from my current situation, which ended up with me being pinned to the ground by a single foot, "–And you were able to trip my foot out under me."

"So what do you need to do?"

He _was_ actually trying to help me. A spark of anger rose up from my chest, and I was tempted to lash out at him, saying that I didn't _need_ any help, but…What _do_ I need to do? I can't get stronger just by doing so cardio and hitting a tree over and over again. Not if I'm facing a human opponent, and _certainly_ not when I'm facing a Grimm. I needed someone to train me. My mind immediately thought of Pyrrha, but…I just pushed her away, thinking that she was pitying me for this.

I looked towards Professor Acht's eyes, seeing no trace of pity on his gaze. Instead, what I found was a cool curiosity and a little bit of sadistic glee in seeing me helpless under his heel. Was Professor Acht _actually_ some sort of deviant– and _no, I am not going in that direction_. I've had enough imagination for a day, thank you very much brain. Still, seeing that the professor wasn't looking at me with nary a look of pity, I…answered him. "Well, since you're a more experienced Huntsman than me, I should've looked for a way to distract you while I rushed towards the door."

"Good", he replied with a nod, and I immediately squashed down the sense of accomplishment that followed. Did _Professor Acht_ out of all people praise me? No, that was clearly my imagination. "Your skills with a sword and shield seem to be sub-par– nay, nonexistent– but you have a decent head on your shoulders." He released his foot from my back, and held out a hand for me to take. "That means you're not as hopeless as I thought, Arc."

The…was it a compliment? I think I'll take it as one. The compliment brought a smile on my face as I took his hand and let myself be hoisted up with just a quick tug. It's not even funny when the teacher that's shorter than you and has arms like a noodle could just pick me up from the ground. Actually, I find it equal parts humbling and humiliating. "Now, go back to your room– it's already past curfew. We'll meet again in the back gardens tomorrow, at the same time. Got that?"

My mind froze, my body tightening in anticipation as I voiced out the question that was on my lips, "What?"

"Congratulations, Arc." Professor Acht said, placing a hand on my shoulder and giving me a reassuring squeeze. It didn't stop my face from paling though, since I swore I saw a sadistic smirk on the man's face. "You are the very first Hunter-in-training that I'll be giving special attention to. Given that this is my first time mentoring someone, I'll give you a heads-up on our next lesson for tomorrow: dodging, parrying, or blocking. Good night."

And just like that, I stood stock still as the professor made his way through the doorway and began walking down the stairs. For a few minutes, I just stood there like a statue, the halted gears in my mind slowly turning once again before everything clicked into place.

"Just what have I gotten myself into…?"

[ _The Cynical Mentor_ ]

It was hell on earth.

Currently, I dug myself into the earth for some semblance of support, putting all my weight into the shield/sheathe that housed Crocea Mors. Professor Acht just stood a few meters away from me, doing nothing but stare at the moon with a smirk on his face, and it was with that infuriating gesture that I forced my tiring body to stand back up once again.

Professor Acht wasn't kidding when he said that our next lesson was on dodging, parrying, and blocking. In fact, I do think that he was joyed by the lesson plan itself, which involved me running around all over the place with my Aura in the red, making the best out of my limited Aura as I tried to keep myself alive. Seriously, I thought that those kunai things in those Scroll videos weren't real, but after seeing one nearly graze my crotch…I took them too seriously.

Much to Professor Acht's amusement, for sure. If I could just hit that bastard…

"Heads up."

I yelped, immediately dropping to a low crouch as _something_ whizzed past my hair, knocking off a few blonde strands. My instincts kicked in, and I immediately rolled to the side, just in time to see a kunai embed itself into the loamy soil of the gardens. I kept my shield up, which I _needed_ to rely on in order for me to find some sort of relief from the incoming buzzes of death, but my eyes bugged out when the metal on my shield suddenly dented. As in, _dented_.

Oh well. Time to run for my life now.

My eyes scanned my nearby surroundings, taking note of the various dents that began appearing on my shield, and found a hedge to be less than five meters away. From that distance though, it was already no-man's land for me, since I'm sure that Professor Acht could pump my back with at least three to four kunai before I could get there. However, if I just stayed here, then my shield would be wrecked beyond repair, and I'd have to spend the next few days without it while waiting for the metal to be repaired. "Oum, give me strength."

And so, I made a run for it. In fact, I was pretty sure that Professor Acht wasn't expecting that at all, since he hadn't immediately shot me with a kunai when I started sprinting. Once I got past a meter however, my instincts screamed at me to duck, resulting in a kunai flying over my head and embedding itself into the hedge. In response, I put my shield across my thighs, making sure that they were angled in such a way that any kunai thrown at the shield would be deflected by my breastplate, or just fall harmlessly on the ground. I focused on pumping Aura through my shins, praying to whatever gods that existed that it wouldn't hurt as much, and my prayers were answered by a dull pain by my right leg.

One and a half meters left, and I ducked low, missing a kunai that had been thrown at my nape. My blood chilled for an instant, but I shifted my focus back towards my legs as I curled them up in preparation. Another thump echoed from my shield, but I was already moving, jumping through the air and directly into the hedge–

…Firstly, let it be said that going through a hedge is more painful than one would think. Second of all, I am _never_ watching Spruce Willis movies ever again, seeing as I was scammed by them. And finally, _ow_. "Arc, rule of thumb. If you're thinking about doing what Spruce Willis does in the movies, _don't_. I'm sure you can see the consequences."

"Yeah…clearly." I replied back, disgruntled at the fact that Professor Acht threw a kunai at my forehead. I managed to block it with my Aura just in time, but the pain still hurts. I shot him a withering glare, to which he replied with the same old infuriating smirk. Once again, he proffered his hand towards me, and I took it, letting me be dragged out of the crumpled heap that I was in–

Wait. "Wait a minute. Did you watch any Spruce Willis movies, Professor Acht?"

He flinched, glancing away from me so that I couldn't see his eyes. Did he really think that I would disregard that sort of reaction? "I liked the 'Buy Lard' movie, but that's just it. The rest of the movies is clearly just to pander towards twelve-year olds who are currently living out their fantasies in their backyards. After all, 'Buy Lard 2' just panders to the audience itself, and doesn't necessarily give Spruce Willis the right amount of characterization required for him to be a complete and rounded character by the time that the climax rolls in…"

I watched as Professor Acht buried himself deeper and deeper with each sentence he spoke. It was a test, to see if the raven-haired professor was actually a fan of such at thing, and the fact that he had replied with a detailed analysis of the series that Spruce Willis was most famous in was actually more than enough evidence for me to consider that he was a (excuse me for the pun here) a 'Buy Lard' fan. Which I was as well. "Professor, you can stop now…"

"Besides, everybody knows that Spruce Willis wouldn't just go around playing with little kids, _especially_ during that airport scene. I mean, he was on a race against time to disarm that lard bomb! He shouldn't even have enough time to talk to a kid! But _no,_ he just has to stop, kneel in front of the kid, and say some inspiring words because it makes him feel more like a hero! You know what being a hero is all about? Stopping that goddamn lard bomb! If he had just ignored the kid and just went on to disarm the bomb itself, then the movie would've ended without me having to watch the abomination for more than thirty minutes longer than necessary…"

My lips pursed, trying hard to keep myself calm in the wake of Professor Acht's outburst. Who knew that he was such a Buy Lard fan?

[ _The Cynical Mentor_ ]

"You improved, Jaune." Pyrrha said, withdrawing her spear as I crumpled to the spot, with mouthfuls of air leaving out of my lungs. No, she didn't make out with me. No, I'm pretty sure she doesn't have feelings like that. No, I'm pretty sure that Professor Acht is watching somewhere and is using this as blackmail for the next time that I meet him. Although, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to have to train my stamina just to catch up…

…Damn it. "Well, I _had_ to survive anyways, so it's definitely a given…" I said, nudging my head to the side while I scratched my cheek. A chill crawled up my spine, and out of instinct I turned around and placed Crocea Mor's shield/sheathe in between me and the entrance, only for me to sigh in relief as there was no Professor Acht to torment me.

"Jaune, are you alright?" Pyrrha asked, and I immediately yelped and jumped around, my nerves getting the better of me for an instant. Emerald eyes stared at me with concern, and I waved it off by laughing nervously and sheathing my sword. "You looked like you saw death for a second there…Is everything alright?" Her gaze moved towards the various scrapes on my neck courtesy of a few close calls with some of the kunai, and she frowned. "Jaune, you can talk to me about this."

"We're getting late for the field trip at Forever Fall, Pyr", I replied, smiling at her as I began walking towards the door that led out of the sparring arenas. My scroll waived the door open, and I took a step back in shock as dark orbs framed in equally black frames stared back. "Oh, Professor Acht", I greeted him, giving him a smile while he raised an eyebrow towards me, "You were going to use this for your next class?"

"No actually", he said in the same monotone voice that he usually speaks with, but this time I could see that there was a hint of annoyance within it. Hard to find when you're just staring at the surface, but after spending two grueling weeks in his so-called 'training', you get to have a very keen attention to detail. It kept me from being run through by a kunai, so it definitely works. Now if only there was some sort of nonlethal option in order to do it… "I'm here to check out some stragglers, but it seems like it's just the two of you here." He glanced at me with an unknown gleam in his eye, and I scowled back in reply. I _knew_ he was going to insinuate that. "Now onto the Bullhead docks you two. I don't want to get my paycheck docked because I let some lovebirds be when they're supposed to be having a fieldtrip."

Despite what I thought, I found myself blushing at the implication, and I immediately kicked the professor in the shin as he smirked at me. He didn't seem to suffer from any damage, so I can only curse him in my mind as I led the way towards the Bullhead docks with Pyrrha in tow. However, it was only after a few moments of walking through the winding hallways of Beacon did I find out that there has been someone following us…or actually, a _professor_ following us.

"What's those stares for?" Professor Acht said, raising an eyebrow at the flat stare I gave him while he crossed his arms behind his head, "I'm escorting you guys to the Bullhead. And I do suggest that you walk faster, since Glynda is a little bit annoyed from having to deal with the Headmaster for the morning."

"Not to offend sir, but why are you following us exactly?" Pyrrha asked, her brows furrowing in confusion as Professor Acht hummed at her before picking up his pace.

"I'm another one of your chaperones for the trip", he said nonchalantly, turning around another corner that we had to actually walk a little bit faster just to catch up with him. "Since I saw Glynda looking stressed by the cafeteria earlier, I tried to volunteer by watching over you guys instead, but she insisted that she be along for the ride since I can't take care of myself apparently. So here I am, back-up chaperone for the day."

Suspicious. _Really_ suspicious. If my understanding of Professor Acht's personality was correct, then he would give Ren a run for his money for being the laziest person imaginable. There was no way that Professor Acht would just willingly give his services for free, unless he had something to go with it.

Then again, I might be wrong.

[ _The Cynical Mentor_ ]

My brows furrowed at the Ursa in front of me while I drew Crocea Mors from its sheathe with a sharp rasp of steel. A clawed hand swung in from the left side, and I angled my shield upwards, the initial impact making me take a step back in order to fix my stance. The Ursa was still unbalanced however, and I immediately went for a thrust straight through the Ursa's heart, piercing it with a wet squelching sound that I didn't want to hear again. I struck the sword's pommel with my shield, breaking its balance as it fell on its back. I quickly took the sword from the Ursa's decaying corpse, and my eyes scanned around for more enemies.

Everything was actually well and good. We had just collected the last amount of sap that we were supposed to get, Cardin threw a bottle of sap towards me, and I managed to block the damn thing in exchange for covering the entirety of my shield in the thick pink liquid. Then the Rapier Wasps came, and I threw the shield into the bush, praying to Oum that it won't get lost in the forest.

Of course, I knew that it was Cardin and his teammates that threw the jar of sap at me. A keen eye for detail was required for me to even _attempt_ to dodge those ridiculously fast kunai of his, so I spotted team CRDL's entrance from a mile away. Of course, I didn't get involved, even though there was already my mini-Professor Acht screaming at me to take revenge on the ones that bullied me before. Was it weird that a mini-Professor Acht was my devil figure? No. Because that is _exactly_ what he is.

I was content in letting the team to get away with their misdeeds, but it turns out that the sap attracted the wonderful attention of an Ursa. Well to be more specific, an Ursa and their posse. So here I am, currently defending Cardin from a veritable wall of Ursae, and cursing my life decisions for being _this_ stupid to go here without making a plan. In fact, I could already hear Professor Acht telling me to 'move' unless I don't want to die–

–My whole body ducked out of instinct, just in time for my vision to be obscured by a gust of wind. I closed my eyes, waiting for the localized windstorm to die down, and I opened them once again to see Professor Acht standing in front of me, his face half-turned towards me while wearing the a smirk on his face. I was tempted to curse him for that; I really do. But considering that he's the only one standing between me (and Cardin) and certain death, I was a bit more relieved to see that someone professional was on the job.

"So, how was my landing? Rate it from one to ten."

…Once again, I am astounded as to how I can stand being around the eccentric professor. "Seven. You weren't supposed to say such a thing, anyway." I am disgusted with myself for even replying to his question. Really, I should be keeping my shield up instead of engaging with banter. There might be some Ursae who might be getting past Professor Acht's defenses, and so I need to make sure that Cardin's safe–

"Alright, that's done", the professor's monotone pierced through the air, and I blinked as I stared at the scene behind him. Fifteen Ursae corpses stood on their backs, their chests punched through by a fist, and they were slowly disintegrating. Professor Acht was cleaning the black dust that he had gathered from his fingers, by which he was wiping them onto his pants. I stared at him dumbfounded, my mouth spluttering out words to which he replied with a roll of his eyes, "Really, Arc? You were so caught up while you were thinking of ways to defend your spot that you didn't even see me kill the Ursae. Better work on your spatial awareness next time. How about we do that for our next lesson?"

There goes the smirk again. Seriously, the fact that he hasn't let up with the sadistic gleam in his eyes means that I'm going to become inured to them sometime soon. I heaved a tired sigh, swearing to myself to make sure that I step up my stamina training just as the bushes parted open and Professor Goodwitch strode forth, her glasses gleaming in the afternoon light. "Don't worry, Mr. Arc, Mr. Winchester. We are here to…save…you…"

"Cavalry's here." Professor Acht dryly remarked, snorting at the late entrance as he hauled Cardin up, tossing him towards Professor Goodwitch, who caught him with her Semblance. She snorted at the smirk on his face, before turning towards the other students and ushering them back towards the area where we were dropped off.

"You did good." I jumped, quickly whirling around to see Professor Acht smirk at me. He patted my shoulder before following the other first year students back towards the Bullhead landing zone, "No one could simply just jump in front of an asshole like Cardin and try to protect him against the Grimm." My gaze turned towards him, noticing the upward twitch to his face, and I focused my attention back ahead, trying hard to stop the smile from forming on my face.

"You're welcome."

[ _The Cynical Mentor_ ]

"Professor Acht!" I screamed, slamming the door towards the infirmary open with my team hot on my heels. Before they could catch up, I immediately sprinted towards the professor, who was staring at me with dark orbs filled with mirth. "Are you alright? What happened!? Did Torchwick get you somehow!?"

"Relax, kid", he said, his voice rasp as he moved his gaze to the side, where a glass of water sat. Never missing a cue, I immediately snatched the cup of water and helped him drink it, the fluid causing him to hum before he finished all of it in one gulp. I placed the glass back on the counter before turning towards my mentor, who was staring at the rest of my team with a calculating gleam in his eyes. "Seems like you have a wonderful team with you. How about you just leave this old man alone for today and spend it with your team?"

"But–"

"Jaune, please." I froze. Not only due to the fact that he had actually called me by my name, but also due to the word 'please' in his sentence. My eyes turned to gaze at him, and he just looked at me with a patronizing smile and a nod, jerking his chin towards the rest of my team as he did so. "Spend the rest of the day with your teammates. I…might've been using up too much of your time." I was about to speak, but Professor Acht held up a hand, "Relax, kid. It'll only last until this afternoon. I'll be back training you by tomorrow."

Somewhere from my team, I heard Pyrrha gasp, and I winced at the 'subtle' words that my mentor said. I nodded, my face growing dark as I moved out of the infirmary with the rest of JNPR in tow, with my feet leading me everywhere but in a specific direction. A few minutes pass with just me and my friends wandering around the halls of Beacon, before I felt a hand on my shoulder and I stopped. I turned around, seeing Pyrrha stare at me with a worried gleam in her emerald eyes, and I promptly broke her gaze.

"Jaune, it's time that we had a talk about a lot of things."

I sighed, letting Pyrrha take the lead as JNPR made their way towards the cafeteria. Ren hadn't gotten one of his green smoothies, and Nora hadn't even gotten a single pancake. "What did Professor Acht mean when he said that he was training you?" Pyrrha started, her eyes narrowed in order to see my reaction. She leaned forward, pumping up the intimidation factor, but I simply disregarded it by keeping a neutral expression while slowly eating my food. A trick that I learned from observing Professor Acht. "Is he the reason why you always come back late at night with scuffles all over you?"

"Yes, mom", I replied without much gusto, taking a stab of my foot and trying to skewer it with my fork. I was about to lift it up so that I could eat it, but the fork wouldn't budge, gaining a gray glow that shimmered around it. The fork stuck to the bottom of the plate, and with a frustrated growl I reached out for the glass of water…only to be frozen in place, my armor gaining that same gray glow. My eyes shifted towards Pyrrha, who was staring at me with a cool determination in her eyes, and I tried to hide the flash of anger than went through me. "What?"

"What did Professor Acht do to you?" She asked, her voice as cold as the dark-haired professor. My eyes moved towards Nora and Ren, who were staring at the two of us with a calm façade, yet I could see the worry in Nora's eyes and the anger in Ren's own. I sighed. "You're not spending much time with the team nowadays, instead ditching us after dinner until midnight. I've also spotted you spending that time with Professor Acht. Considering your…tendencies–" Her eyes moved towards Ren and Nora, "–I'm worried that he might've done something to you."

"Like what, blackmail?"

The reply killed the mood, the stagnant air making it heavier for the rest of us to speak. Pyrrha looked like she'd been hit, with wide emerald eyes looking at me in genuine surprise. I could already see it on the news: Jaune Arc finally grows a spine. Yeah, a perfectly acceptable headline, and one that would make the front page no less. "Relax", I replied, "I'm fine. Everything's dandy. Professor Acht is just giving me some supplementary training on the side."

"If this training consists of activities that Cardin would pull on you–"

" _Cardin_ wouldn't do anything." I snarled, making sure to gaze at team CRDL, who seemed to be having the same desolate atmosphere without their leader present. They didn't talk to one another; they simply ate in relative silence, which was weird considering that they were one of the more raucous teams in the cafeteria. My attention turned back towards my team, whose expressions were even more surprised that I was able to snarl in the first place. Due to Pyrrha's inattentiveness, I was able to move again, given by the fact that I was eating once again.

"Jaune, if anything is wrong…We're here for you. Remember that." Pyrrha's voice piped up after a minute or two, and I stared at her olivine eyes, the hurt clearly written on her face. She stood up from the table, grasping her tray with more force than she needed, and shot a gaze towards the other members of our team. "I'll…be right back."

The feeling of a knife being twisted in my stomach was hard to forget, but I still soldiered on. No matter what my teammates would say, I wouldn't let them talk about Professor Acht in that way. His pained smirk flashed through my mind, and the grip on my fork tightened. On the rooftop, he didn't call me out on my fake transcripts, but gave me training instead. It was one favor that I knew I would be forever indebted to.

If being a good Huntsman was the least I could do in order to help him, then be a good Huntsman I would be.

[ _The Cynical Mentor_ ]

"Why are you on a wheelchair?"

"Bucket list", replied the monotone voice of my mentor. I stared at him with a blank expression on my face, and he coughed, "I wanted to try being one of these things. Also, it provides a handicap for you to exploit. For now." My eyes widened, blinking at his reasoning, before I was forced to get on with the program by Professor Acht holding up a kunai. Where does he even get those things?

"Let's move on from blocking, parrying, and dodging. I think I've traumatized you enough for your muscle memory to act unconsciously." I shivered at the various 'training sessions' that we had over the past two months, but there was also a part of me that nodded at the way he had praised me for getting something right. Somehow, it felt good. "Now that you've mastered the way to block and parry with your shield along with dodging out of the way, it's time for you to learn some offensive techniques."

Professor Acht's eyes narrowed, stepping out of the wheelchair. From a distance, it would seem like his walking pace was unchanged even after the incident at the docks, but I could see that he favored his left leg more often than not. A few seconds later, he reached my position and proffered a hand out towards me, and I took his hand with a raised brow. "Not that hand. The sword, you idiot", he chided, and I immediately grimaced as I drew Crocea Mors from its sheath and handed it towards him hilt-first. One of the first things that the dark-haired professor ingrained into me was weapon safety, after all.

The professor hummed, taking the sword and slashing at the air in front of him. He tapped the blade against his left shoulder, and my eyes trained on the way that he held onto the blade. So he was left-handed, then. It might be a bit difficult if I were to actually fight him with a sword… "Catch." I perked up, my eyes tracking the flying sword as I immediately snatched it by the hilt, and Professor Acht looked at me with a bemused nod.

"Your blade has good reach, made out of good material and would stand strong for a long amount of time. If I do remember my history, it was your great-grandfather's blade during the Great War, correct?" I nodded, and he hummed in realization. "…Throw it in the trash. Or keep the blade wrapped up. It's not suited to your style."

"What?"

"Before you get angry, let me explain", Professor Acht said when he noticed my clenched fists, holding up his arms to mean that he meant no harm. "Look, let's face it kid." My brow twitched at the nickname. "You're improving well, but with your large Aura pool and your shield, counterattacking is the most efficient way for you to fight. Since your stamina's improving day by day, it means that you're able to outlast the enemy long enough so that they'll screw up sooner or later, and you can capitalize on that to end the fight quickly. Which means your primary way to deal damage should be fast and quick, since windows of opportunities like that usually last for less than a second."

He held his hand out in front of me, and the wind shifted around us. The hedges of the garden began to rustle, and a low-pitched whine began to ring through the air. I raised an eyebrow at my mentor, wondering what he was doing, and he simply glared at me with the same emotionless eyes that he had. "Oh, quell it, brat", he said, once again making my brow twitch, "It's hard to try and manipulate Aura when you barely have any of it in the first place."

Soon, a dark gray blob formed just a few inches away from his outstretched hand, which slowly morphed into a long spike just shy of a meter long. The blob now resembled something like a weapon, with a bladed tip, hilt, and a simple handguard, but the rest of the blade that led up to the tip was nothing but a smooth cone with no edge whatsoever. "This", Professor Acht said, snapping me out of my observation, "is a rapier. You know what it does; the Schnee uses it quite frequently, after all. However, it's quite heavy, so it's more or less a shorter lance. Quite useful for your predicament." He held out the weapon towards me, and I raised an eyebrow at him and grasped the gray…thing. My eyes widened when it registered as solid.

"How…?"

"Attain enough marks in Aura Manipulation, and you can summon objects from your Aura", Professor Acht replied, a smirk on his face as he let go of the gray lance. Immediately, I felt my right arm be pulled down by the weight, but I quickly shifted my stance so that my base was wider. "Good. Dancing makes you have a more flexible sense of balance, which you could use." I froze. How did he…?

"I filmed you dancing here about last week. Nice moves, by the way."

It was a stupid decision to charge at him, I knew that. But if he ever spread that sort of video among the student body, then…! Ah well. I was knocked down to the ground, anyway. By Professor Acht's bad foot, no less. Was it too late to just give up on life now? "Let's see here. If you can hit me before midnight, I'll delete the video on my Scroll right in front of you. You alright with that deal?"

My mind froze. Professor Acht. Deal. Those two words immediately raised alarms in my head, and my mind strained to comprehend the various loopholes that he could've added onto his terms. A few seconds later, I frowned and took hold of Professor Acht's proffered hand, his strength pulling me up from the ground.

"Deal", I said, at the same time where I tried to bash his face in with a shield.

[ _The Cynical Mentor_ ]

Sometimes, I go onto the rooftop right above CRDL's room, staring at the skies there. It helped me remember my roots, where my life changed when Professor Acht offered to train me instead of ratting me out to the Headmaster. My newly-minted rapier, named Schnellenteich, was sheathed, and I opened the door to the rooftop to begin my daily stargazing activity. There was a time where I could do the same thing with my team, but…Times change.

However, the first thing that I noticed when I opened the door to the rooftop was the overpowering scent of alcohol.

My nose immediately scrunched up in disgust, and I quickly looked around to see who could've been the cause for such a thing. I found the answer to my question a moment later however, and my eyes widened as I took in the visage of Professor Acht, drinking from a flask and staring at the sky with a glazed look in his eyes. A thin smile was plastered on his face, and I immediately pinched myself in the arm to make sure that it wasn't a dream. The act of seeing Professor Acht smile would naturally mean that I was under some kind of illusion, but it seemed genuine enough.

Just what the hell was I looking at!? "Ah, kid", his voice piped up from his position, with glazed gray eyes turning towards me with a smirk on his face. He raised his flask in my direction, tipping the lid so that I could see the amber liquid inside. Judging from the stench, it was most certainly alcohol. "Care to drink with an old man?" I raised an eyebrow at him, and my eyes narrowed to see the light flush on his cheeks.

Great. A drunk Professor Acht. This would certainly be prime blackmail material if it wasn't me doing the recording…Wait a minute, this _is_ prime blackmail material. I immediately seated myself beside him pushing the flask away from me, and I pulled out my Scroll from my pocket and trained the camera on the dark-haired professor, making sure to keep it steady while it began recording. "No thanks, but I do appreciate the company", I said, a fake smile on my face as I stared at the stars. Do I blame my mentor for the fact that I could fake a smile now? Yes. Yes I do.

"Alright then, kid. Suit yourself", he replied, stowing away the flask inside his vest and returned back to staring at the stars. He began humming a tune, but it was so off-key that I had to step in so that he wouldn't bury his reputation in my mind even more. The fact that he was a diehard fan of Spruce Willis and having a bucket list notwithstanding.

"What kind of song was that?"

"Vacuan folk song", came the immediately reply, with glazed gray eyes turning towards me with a smile. "Sang it with my team when we were away on missions. All of us couldn't sing to save our lives, so most likely some Grimm would come to us due to how bad we are at singing the song." Professor Acht pulled a dagger out of the holster on his left thigh, and with a quick press of a lever, it sprung out into a shortsword. "Then we killed them. Pretty good way to relieve ourselves of boredom. You have _no_ idea how boring it is to be saddled with hunting down an Elder Grimm. You have to wait for hours and hours until the damn thing shows up, and then it escapes in just a few minutes. Had to spend the time somehow, so we sang." He turned towards me, a flash of intelligence coming across his glazed eyes, "What about you, Jaune? Have you done anything with your team lately?"

I tensed up. How could he have known that? "Drink", he said, and I glanced downwards to see my mentor handing me his flask, "Drink, and then let it out. It's the way that it was done in our team whenever one of us had any problems. Maybe it could help with yours."

My eyes gazed at the flask for a few long seconds, before I sighed and snatched the flask away from my mentor. I brought the flask opening up to my lips, taking a sip of it…and quickly gagging out the rest that may have gotten into my system. "What the hell!?" I screamed amidst the various gagging sounds that I made, holding out the flask towards Professor Acht while he roared in laughter. "Is this what alcohol tastes like!? I'm surprised that you could even drink this stuff!"

"Me too. Did you know that I only drink this during special occasions?"

The way that he worded it made my eyes narrow. "Then what's the special occasion, then?" Professor Acht simply smirked at my question, capping his flask once again before storing it into his vest. He leaned back against the wall, letting out a tired sigh, before bleary gray eyes stared back towards the night sky, now tinged with melancholy.

"Nostalgia day." The answer made me blink. Nostalgia day? "It's the day where I remember my teammates' memories, indulge them in their various idiosyncratic requests that they would coerce me to do for quite some time. That, and copious amounts of alcohol to kill an elephant." His eyes turned to gaze at me, and I suddenly fell on the spot. My lips were suddenly dry, and I was forced to gulp when I can see the sheer _lifelessness_ that emanated from the parts of his eyes that weren't enclosed by his glasses. Was that the reason why he always wore them? "What do you know about the Vacuan Academy for Gifted Students?"

My mind flashed back to Dr. Oobleck's class, wherein I tried to remember the various amounts of information that the green-haired professor just dropped onto my lap. If I do remember, the Vacuan Academy was based somewhere on the outskirts of Vacuo, and was overrun by Grimm about eight years ago…

Blood paled from my face as I turned towards Professor Acht, the gears in my mind clicking into place. The smirks that he gave me all made sense now; he couldn't smile– or at least, he couldn't smile normally. The smirks were a product of what he had gone through– the scars that appeared during the incident where Grimm had overrun that school itself. For the time being, I had wanted to use the Scroll footage to blackmail Professor Acht, but as of now…I can't help but purge the damn thing from the depths of my memory.

After all, I had accidentally stumbled into a landmine.

[ _The Cynical Mentor_ ]

"It would be best if you made up with them and cleared all misunderstandings."

"That, I'll do, but I might need your help in fleshing things out." I replied, causing Professor Acht to blink at me in surprise. I was under the temptation to smile, yet I managed to push it down when a flash of a memory came to mind. That of Professor Acht standing in the middle of a Grimm outbreak, his teammates all but slaughtered by mankind's greatest enemy. It was a haunting image, and I was sure that whatever I can think of would pale to what he actually experienced. "In fact, we might as well start now."

"Uh, sure", he replied, with nervousness evident in his tone as he glanced towards the side. He scratched his cheek with a stray hand, and his lips pursed. It was the first time that I've seen Professor Acht this…expressive. Was it because he had just come from a drinking session, or the fact that he forced a minor to drink? Granted, it wasn't exactly forced, but I do think that I'll go with that story if one of the professors (sans Professor Acht, of course) were to catch me under the influence of alcohol. "…I thought you might've protested more, but I guess my worries were unfounded."

If it were any other time, then I _would've_ protested. But after what I learned of the dark-haired professor last night, then I was more than willing to hear him out. No doubt that he must've gone through the same thing as well, since he flinched ever-so slightly when telling about his beginnings in the Vacuan Academy. "Let's go then–"

"Wait", he said, grabbing my arm before I could turn around the corner, "If we're going to talk to your team, does that mean that we're going to Pyrrha too?" I could _feel_ the apprehension in his voice, as if he didn't want to talk to her. Considering how easy he made it look while dismantling her during our first class, it didn't make sense that he was actually scared of my partner…Or was it something else?

"Why wouldn't you talk to Pyrrha?" I asked with a raised brow, and Professor Acht flinched, showing his hesitation as clear as day. I'm seriously thinking that this is how he actually feels beneath that cold mask he always wears. Maybe it's because the alcohol still hasn't gotten out of his system yet. I saw him sigh, massaging his temples with his brows furrowed in irritation. A few seconds later, he reached into the inside of his vest and pulled out a crumpled piece of photographic paper, and handed it towards me with a finger pressed against his lips.

I slowly unfurled the paper, my breath hitching at the familiar shock of red hair that I often saw on my partner. My eyes were immediately drawn to the blue eyes that smiled at the camera and the bronze spear that she held proudly for all too see. The blue, white, and gold clothing that she wore made her stick out amidst the yellow sands present in the picture, and her smile showed perfect white teeth… "Who is she?"

"Tyre Nikos. My Huntress partner, and Pyrrha Nikos's older sister", Professor Acht replied, and my eyes immediately shot up to meet his. Once again, I was treated to his smile, one that showed how broken he truly was, and I gave back the photograph towards my mentor, who stored it back into the inside of his vest. "I couldn't ask for a better partner than her. Always had my back, even when I was nothing more than an intern joining a third-year team due to my so-called 'tactical prowess'." A flash of emotion went across his eyes, and his smile looked even more broken than before. "When the Grimm had overrun the Academy however…I couldn't even save her."

He closed his eyes, heaving a deep sigh. A second later, he opened them once again, and I flinched at the fact that the cold mask that he usually wore was once again plastered on his face. "This is the main reason why I couldn't just go up to her along with you. She doesn't seem to look like it, but she shares more traits with her sister than she thinks." Professor Acht gripped my shoulder and gave me a reassuring squeeze, but his grip was weaker than most of the other times that he did so. To avoid breaking the masquerade, I just chalked it up to my mentor having just indulged in alcohol last night. "…Take good care of her, Jaune. Do what I couldn't."

My lips pursed, and I nodded, making sure to avoid looking at his face as I did so. I felt a wellspring of determination fill my body just as Professor Acht let go, allowing me to go towards my dorm room, one that I shared with my teammates. I still have to apologize for my past actions, after all.

Although, I just hope that they'll actually listen to me for once, instead of making their own assumptions.

[ _The Cynical Mentor_ ]

"I don't think that this is a good training method." Pyrrha commented, watching me from the sidelines as Professor Acht simply shimmied away from my attempted strike, the frame of the wheelchair creaking in response to the maneuver. I growled, with irritation seeping into my actions as Schnellenteich was brought into a crushing sweep. The damnable wheelchair was safe however, since my mentor simply used his strength to lift the wheelchair out of my attack's coverage. I didn't know _how_ he did such a thing since I was pretty sure that it broke some fundamental laws of physics, but I just assumed that I would be able to do such a thing when I eventually catch up to his level.

Also, did I mention that my whole team was watching me train? It's quite embarrassing to see your strikes miss all the time while they just cheer you on. "Go Jauney!" Nora screamed, her expression more bloodthirsty than I had expected, "Break his legs!"

"Go Jaune. You can do it." Came the emotionless cheer from Professor Acht, who even raised a thumb at me in encouragement. Of course, the damnable smirk was on his face, so I pushed myself even harder to hit him, which resulted in my rapier piercing through the gap between the spokes of the wheelchair. A grin was plastered on my lips as I yanked the wheelchair to the side, but the smile quickly fell as Professor Acht _somehow_ kept his balance on the damn thing. He was already fiddling with his nails.

Yes, we've been training for the last hour or so. "I do think that this should be enough for now." My mentor's voice said, and I sheathed Schnellenteich as I shot a baleful glare towards Professor Acht. The rest of the team came up and tried to console me for not meeting my objective, with Pyrrha going so far as to pat me on the shoulder for my hard work, and I simply smiled at them in thanks. It was…hard, trying to make up with all of them while making sure that I didn't blurt out details about Professor Acht's past, but I managed to make do. Still, they had their suspicions, so they suggested going with me during my training sessions with my mentor.

I was honestly tempted to rub it in their faces when they realized that he was _actually_ just training me instead of just using the training as an excuse to beat me up. Well, I also neglected to say that he _did_ do such a thing until he came up with this new regimen, but I'd like to keep that to myself…Oh Oum. I'm already scheming against my teammates' backs. I do think that Professor Acht has been affecting my thinking process as of late.

"That last attack was good, brat", he said, smirking in that same infuriating manner while my brow involuntarily twitched. It was already a reflex by this point. "By catching the spokes of the wheelchair, you've effectively asserted control over where you want it to go. So technically, I was already stuck, but you seemed keen on trying to hit me when you rapier when you have a perfectly good weapon over there." He nudged his chin towards my heater shield, and I winced at the insinuation that I wasn't using my shield properly. After two months of trying to block and parry attacks with it, I was finding it hard to reconcile the fact that it could _also_ be used as a weapon. "You could've just smacked me with the tip of the shield, and you would've hit me. I guess the trauma's still there, huh?"

"What do you mean trauma?" Pyrrha asked, her gaze immediately turning suspicious as she turned towards my mentor, and he stared at her with a blank gaze. After spending so much time with him, I could equate Professor Acht's blank gaze to 'I don't know how to reply to your answer without revealing something important'. It makes sense, given that he still has some sort of guilt complex with letting her older sister…meet an untimely end.

"I just chucked some kunai at him in order to train him to teach him how to defend", he replied in a smooth tone, and his dark orbs turned towards me with an almost-instantaneous flash of emotion. I couldn't help but wince in my mind; he can't even talk to her properly like this?

"Well, I got better after that", I piped up, and as Pyrrha's attention turned towards me, I could see a hint of gratitude in my mentor's eyes. "After Professor Acht managed to teach me how to defend effectively, he's now trying to teach me on how to actually retaliate back." The rest of my team turned towards me with looks of suspicion, and I rolled my eyes and pointed towards the wheelchair, "Yes, the wheelchair is actually important. Unless I can't hit him while he's on a wheelchair, I can't move on with my lessons." I revisited the terms that Professor Acht had stated before we started the 'lesson', and I could clearly remember him saying that…

…Oh. I found a loophole. "Brat–"

Professor Acht's eyes widened as I immediately tried to pierce through his forehead with Schnellenteich, but a glint of amusement was present in his eyes before he managed to put out his right arm in a hasty guard. The black metal inside glinted, and the sound of metal ringing and the sight of sparks made my eyes bug out at the sudden buckler that had just appeared from his gauntlet. After my failed attack, he unclenched his right fist, and the buckler segmented before collapsing into the part of his gauntlet that covered his forearm.

My team stared at me with horror. Professor Acht stared at me with grudging acknowledgment. Although, it disappeared when he smirked at me a second later, "Finally figured it now, huh?" He asked, a thin smile on his face, and I both felt insulted and praised at the backhanded compliment. I readied my rapier and shield, and a grin formed on my face that was on the wrong side of vicious.

"Uh, Jaune? You alright there, buddy?"

"Nora, prepare to attack", I said, and as the rest of the team stared at me with various looks of confusion, I sighed and explained my train of thought, "Look, Professor Acht told me that I'd complete my lesson if I manage to hit him or he steps out of the wheelchair." When they still stared at me with puzzlement, my expression fell and I looked at my teammates in a brand-new light. "…The loophole there is that he didn't specify whether or not I need to do the task alone."

Like lightbulbs had been switched on, my team's faces suddenly lit up in realization. "Jauney", Nora said, pulling Magnhild out from her back, the grenade launcher immediately shifting into a warhammer, "You. Are. A _genius_."

I suppressed the urge to whine. The wheelchair glowed a dark gray courtesy of Pyrrha's Semblance, watching as the metallic construct was flipped over in mid-air. I cheered, my faith in Hunters restored, but my happiness was quickly washed away when I still saw Professor Acht standing _upside-down_ with a grin on his face. I was also pretty sure that the rest of my teammates save Ren were currently looking at the scene with their jaws hung open.

"You know", my mentor said, his grin morphing into an infuriating smirk that just stoked my anger, "Aura Manipulation has its various uses. Sticking onto surfaces like a ninja is one such example." My gaze moved towards Ren, who was staring at the scene with the detached look of an observer, and he even had his hand rubbing his chin in thought. Pink eyes glanced towards me, and he answered the unanswered question.

"It's theoretically possible", he remarked before pulling out Stormflower, aiming the guns towards my upside-down mentor. Pandemonium broke out as the rest of my teammates tried to bring Professor Acht down, while I simply stared on with a dead look in my eyes.

My faith in Hunters has been thoroughly wrecked.

[ _The Cynical Mentor_ ]

"Pyrrha?" I asked, shocking my partner out of her reverie as she quickly moved towards her bed, her eyes red from what I could assume to be tears. My lips pursed, before I sheathed Schnellenteich and made my way towards her. "Hey Pyr, what's wrong?" I placed a hand on my shoulder, my brows furrowing as my partner, the Invincible Girl of Mistral, hugged me and began crying into my shirt. My eyes glanced towards the crumpled photograph that was by her nightstand, the lamp illuminating the visage of a young Professor Acht, alongside his teammates…Ah.

So he finally told her the truth, then. "It's alright, Pyr. It's alright; I got you."

I…didn't know how to comfort girls. Sure, I had some semblance of dealing with them in the form of my sisters, but whenever they cried all I had to do was promise them to cook up their favorite meal, play with them for a while, or accompany them somewhere where they would run free and cause havoc. I knew how to comfort them because they were family, and thus shared the same interests at heart. Pyrrha wasn't one, but she was close enough to qualify; however, it still meant that I didn't know what to do when she starts to bawl her eyes out. As of the moment, she wasn't the Invincible Girl that everyone knew her for…instead, she was simply just a little sister who had found out some less-than-stellar news about her family.

"J-Jaune", she said, her words interspersed by hiccups and sniffles, "It…it makes sense now. He– Professor Acht, he always calls me by my name, a-and acts like he knew me from somewhere, but I don't know when. It…it actually makes sense. S-Sis always brought me to Vacuo sometime back in the past, introduced me to her teammates and everything…H-How could I just forget them?" She wailed, and her grip on my hoodie tightened, "They were…they were my friends; my family. And I just…and I just forget them…?"

My lips pursed, not minding the slowly-growing stain that was spreading through the front of my hoodie. I could always wash it later. "Just keep on talking, Pyr. I'm here."

Pyrrha sniffled and snuggled deeper into my hoodie, but I just passed it off as her still getting over the realization that she once knew the enigmatic professor. "I-I remember him now, you know? He was the one that always took me out for some ice cream in the middle of the desert…Didn't mind that he had to carry me for more than two kilometers just so we could get to the city proper, all the while fighting the Grimm on his trail. I was always amazed by him, and it grew even more when S-Sis said that he was the weakest one on their team…and I thought to myself back then: c-could I be strong like him?" She pulled back, and my partner gave me a sad smile. "H-He always pampered me back then, more so than my s-sister…They even had an argument about it, all the while I was watching along with their teammates. They…My s-sister and P-Professor Acht are good people…So why did they have to die?"

"Professor Acht's still here."

"T-That's not the point, Jaune." Her emerald eyes flashed in indignation, and I winced at the amount of fervor in them. On the bright side, she wasn't crying. On the other hand, I was possibly dealing with an irate Pyrrha Nikos…I do hope that Professor Acht's training would be enough. "I _knew_ him, Jaune. He always had that lifeless look in his eyes every time he took off those glasses, but he always felt comfortable around my sister and the rest of her team. It was as if they were his oasis. When I confronted him earlier however, he was just staring at me with the same patronizing smile that he always had…But it felt lifeless. Like the life had been snuffed out of him ever since…ever since the fall of the Vacuan Academy." Her eyes began tearing up again, but she wiped them off with an arm. "I…I was there, you know, watching the Scroll along with my parents as a live video of the Academy was on the screen. T-The Grimm back then…they completely blotted out the Academy. Even from that far out, I was scared. Scared that my sister would be dead. Scared that Professor Acht might be dead. Scared that the rest of my sister's team was dead." Her voice cracked, and she fell silent for a few moments before she spoke up once again, her voice now more subdued than before. "…When my sister's body was delivered to my parents, I…I expected the worst."

"I should be angry…I should be angry at Professor Acht for letting my sister die." Her emerald eyes narrowed, but her tired voice ran contrary with what she was currently saying. "But when I try to accuse him of that, I could _see_ the hurt in his eyes when he told me that he was on the same team as my sister…when he told me that he was one of the few survivors of the Grimm attack on the Vacuan Academy." Pyrrha's voice grew sullen, her shoulders drooping as she leaned into me and took a deep breath, "…Now, I'm starting to think that my sister was lucky that she died during the attack."

My eyes closed, waiting for my partner to continue on talking. When she hadn't, I opened my eyes to find her softly snoring, with sleep apparently overtaking her while she cried. Carefully, I laid her out on her bed, tucking her in whilst I glanced outside the window. Once again, it would seem that Professor Acht strikes again. It would've been better if he was here beside me to give me some advice on what to do, but…most likely, he was at the rooftop once again, drinking his sorrows away.

…After all, coincidence or not, today is one of his so-called 'nostalgia days'.

[ _The Cynical Mentor_ ]

The image of Pyrrha crying flashed through my mind as I imagined my opponent going inside my guard. I grunted, countering with a quick stomp to the ground, and I kicked my imaginary opponent back just as I pierced through his heart with Schnellenteich. The pitch-black blade of the rapier stopped in mid-air, courtesy of me panting harshly, and I returned back to my original position a few minutes later, ready to start again.

Professor Acht had put an indefinite hold to our training sessions. Pyrrha seemed a lot more lifeless nowadays, and seemed to swing between anger and regret whenever Anti-Hunter Combat class goes around. Their faces flashed through my mind once again as I parried an imaginary slash aimed at my gut, the blade flying high as I charged in with shield in tow and bashed my opponent on the chest. Dazed, I imagined him stepping back a few paces, and a quick pierce towards his dominant shoulder was enough for me to claim victory.

My mentor told me to rest and focus on the basics first. To try and predict the flow of battle, and how to affect its rhythm. Imaginary sparks and swings filled the air of the backyard gardens, my rapier and shield working in tandem as they broke through my opponent's guard and quickly finished them off with a quick pierce. At this time, I saw through my mentor's thinking of getting a rapier. With its customized length, I could easily retaliate when the enemy breaks through my guard, and also manage to deflect some strikes that would be unsuitable to parry head-on. It was a good pick for my style, which now that I thought about it, mainly involved a copious amount of counterattacking. A good pick for facing human opponents for sure…but what about when I'm facing a Grimm?

And so, I trained. I trained in various scenarios that allowed me to picture myself fighting against a horde of the beasts, trying to do my best in order to survive. I tried to imagine the situation in which Professor Acht found himself in during the Grimm invasion on the Vacuan Academy, yet I still can't reach his level. My maximum amount of Grimm that I could face was about twenty before I started slipping up and be overwhelmed. Overall, it was a far cry from what I could do at the start of the year, where I was sure that even a single Grimm could potentially be my end. I'd like to pat myself on the shoulder for such an improvement, but…I'm sure that I'd like it more if my mentor were to be the one that says the damn thing. Oum knows that I need the recognition.

My muscles ached, begging for me to stop, and I humored them as I rested against a hedge, taking deep breaths that more often than not sounded like panting. A few moments pass with me stuck in the same old position, and I figured that I might as well start again, considering that my muscles didn't want to kill me anymore. Before I even managed to stand up however, the end of a stick pushes me back down on the grass, toppling my balance and making me squawk as I landed with an unceremonious thud. "What the–!?"

" _Rest_." The voice was familiar, and I quickly snapped my head up to see the tired orbs of Professor Acht. A sigh escaped his lips, and he quickly collapsed next to my spot. If he was disgusted by the smell that I was currently emitting right now, then he didn't show it. "Really, if your teammates didn't tell me that you were pushing yourself, then you might've collapsed right here and now. Then when you wake up, you're suddenly pitted against Glynda that had spent the whole night doing your paperwork." A brief shudder ran through his shoulders, and I wondered if he had ever experienced such a thing. "…If you're wondering, then _yes_ , I was stupid enough to do such a thing. Still have the scars to prove it."

"Ha ha. Very funny." I deadpanned, my blank gaze meeting my mentor's own gaze. "And what do you mean I need to rest? I've been doing well, thank you very much." Professor Acht frowned, staring at me with a bit of anger in his gray eyes, and proceeded to poke me in the shoulder. Pain immediately lanced throughout my whole body, a result of my muscles locking up in an instant, and I found myself staring at the stars a second later with my eyes wide open and my mouth in a silent scream.

"Yeah, you've been doing well. That, I can see", Professor Acht remarked with a bit of sarcastic vitriol, his voice stone-cold. Gray eyes narrowed at my body, and a snarl escaped his lips. I swear I could smell the alcohol from his breath. "Ren is getting worried. Nora is practically begging me to go and check up on you. Pyrrha is giving me those puppy dog eyes as an extra incentive to go and confront you about…this, really." He motioned towards me with a hand, to which I replied with a snort, "I'm serious, Jaune. You need to rest. You're going to kill yourself at this rate."

A flash of memory went through my mind, my mentor staring at me with a broken smile and eyes that were filled with unspoken regrets. My brows furrowed, and determination welled up within my body as I spoke. "I can handle myself just fine. And shouldn't you be apologizing to Pyrrha in the first place?"

My mentor narrowed his eyes even further, before heaving a sigh a second later. He shook his head, pushing himself off the ground and shaking off the dirt that had gathered on his pants. "Fine, then. I'll leave you to your devices." He said, the cold acceptance making me flinch as his cold façade settled back in. "Just don't have any regrets when this comes back to bite you in the ass for later."

With that statement, he quickly made his way back to the Beacon grounds. I stayed, watching his back grow smaller and smaller until he finally reached one of the entrances and let himself in. Picking up my sheathed rapier, I used it as a crutch in order to hoist myself back up, with each movement sending jolts of pain all over my body. A few minutes later, I was training once more, using Professor Acht's broken smile and Pyrrha's tears as motivation to push myself forward.

If I'm going to have any say in this, then I'd make sure that they wouldn't make such expressions ever again.

[ _The Cynical Mentor_ ]

Grimm. There was Grimm everywhere.

I ducked out of the way of a Beowolf's lunge, shifting my position so that I pierced its skull with as little effort as possible. A spike of pain shot up my right ankle, but I ignored it in favor of deflecting an Ursa's blow and immediately embedding Schnellenteich into its heart. The blow was enough to make my whole left arm seize up, but I managed to get it working once again by shaking it until I couldn't feel the pain. A howl came from somewhere behind me, but Nora took care of it with a swing from her hammer.

My lips let out a shaky breath as I collapsed onto my knees, keeping my grip on Schnellenteich tight. For a few moments, I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths, aiming to clear my mind of the pain. My eyes snapped open a second later just in time for me to roll to the side, narrowly dodging a swipe from a Creep, and I immediately stabbed it through its mask with my rapier. I can't feel my right hand anymore, but my arm still rang from the strike, and a grimace formed on my face as I continued to hold the line with my team.

Currently, Pyrrha was taking care of her side with relative ease, and Nora was taking care of the left flank. Ren was currently running around and assisting anyone that needed help, and I was in charge of keeping the street in front of me safe from any Grimm that may attempt to pass through. It had been about ten minutes since Grimm started pouring out of Central Vale, but to me…it felt like a few hours had passed by already. Damn, do I need some rest. It's been a week since Professor Acht interrupted my training session, and I must admit that I'm a bit…tired.

Maybe I could just take a break for a moment, seeing as there were no Grimm around…

"JAUNE!" My eyes snapped open, just in time to see an Ursa claw coming straight towards my face. I urged my left arm to at least parry the blow, but it seized up. I tried shifting my balance to the side so that I can roll out of the way, but my legs wouldn't move. My eyes widened, seeing Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren turn to look at me with looks of horror on their faces, and time seemed to slow down as I glanced towards my Scroll, laid upon the rubble beside me. Huh, it would seem that my Aura was in the red…Which must've meant that the Ursa was whaling on me for quite a while now.

…Just how tired was I that I slept through that? Oh right. Tired enough so that I only awoke to see myself die.

Die. Death. Professor Acht's words a week ago rang through my memory, warning me about the potential consequences that might happen if I continued on training. Now…he wasn't here. He was there during the time where Cardin almost blackmailed me. He was also there during the docks incident, where he helped team RWBY chase off Roman Torchwick. There was also that time where an Atlas Paladin ran amok through Vale, where he was forced to be hospitalized for a week due being nearly crushed by the rubble. He was always there, during the most important events. Now, however, he wasn't…and I was supposed to pick up the slack just for these kinds of situations. And I failed.

Oh Oum…I'm _actually_ going to die, aren't I?

My mouth opened in a silent scream just as the shadow of the Ursa's paw began to scrape across my face, but the Grimm's weight was instantly lifted a second later as a gray blur passed through its limb in an instant, turning it into dust. The Ursa roared, turning towards the direction where the blur had come from, but multiple blurs slammed into the bear-like Grimm and tore it open like a hot knife through butter, before eviscerating it from the inside like some sort of sick display. Dark blood and viscera was splattered all over my visage, and through half-lidded eyes I saw a familiar gray vest kneeling in front of me, with dark gray orbs behind black glasses filled with a panic that I had never seen him wear before. A cloak of gray blades fell in line behind him a moment later, and I smiled at the fact that Ruby might've gushed about its coolness when everything was over.

Yes, when everything was over…When Professor Acht didn't have to look at me with a broken smile and a lifeless gaze; when Pyrrha didn't have to cry in front of me…Indeed, when everything was over, maybe I could go back to frantically dodging kunai from coming left and right. Or maybe work together with my team to get my mentor out of his wheelchair.

Oum, did I hate that damn wheelchair…

[ _The Cynical Mentor_ ]

My eyes slammed open, my body freezing up for a second or two before I forced myself to stand up. A dull pain ran throughout my whole body, but I managed to ignore it in order to focus on the beeping monitor beside me. The whitewashed walls and the sheets reminded me of the Beacon infirmary, but if that was the case, then…My head turned towards the side, where I found Pyrrha dozing off beside my bed, her red hair sticking out from the white sheets. I sighed, smiling at her peaceful countenance. "About time you were awake."

The voice made me blink. Turning around towards the other side of my bed, I saw Professor Acht staring at me from behind a folding chair, his arms crossed over the backrest. Immediately, my eyes narrowed at the small but noticeable changes that happened to him. His eyes were glazed, as if he were drinking, but the dark patches of skin underneath his eyes told me of a different story. His hair was a bit more frazzled than usual, and his clothes looked like they had been unwashed for days. Moreover…his eyes showed panic, relief, and anger at the same time. Normally, I'd ignore such a thing, but given what I saw the last time before I blacked out… "Did I die?"

"…Don't you _dare_ joke about it with me, Jaune." He said after a second, a snarl making its way out of his lips. He stood up, seemingly towering over me, and he pushed me back down with his index finger poised over my heart. "You almost got yourself killed. What were you _thinking_ , you goddamn idiot?"

"I…" My voice trailed off, unable to find an answer. My mind sorted through the information that I had on hand, and now that I thought about it from a more logical perspective, it was a pretty stupid reason to do what I did. "I…didn't want you or Pyrrha to be miserable."

"How? By neglecting your body's needs until you collapse in the middle of a Grimm invasion?" He asked, and my eyes immediately gazed at my sheets, where I found my hands clenched in guilt. "Because the way I see it, your actions seem to make the both of us _more_ miserable." Professor Acht stuffed his hand back into his pockets, and he heaved a sigh before staring at me once again, "I have issues, Jaune. PTSD, regrets…I have a lot of baggage that I have to carry with me for the rest of my life. Individuals that I couldn't save. Towns that I left to their doom. There was a Grimm horde coming towards a village, and we had to raze it to the ground while trying to protect the rest of the villagers. We came out with just thirteen survivors instead of two-hundred and seventy." My mentor looked away from me, and his voice wavered, growing more soft-spoken. If I wasn't sure that it was the trick of the light, I could swear that a tear roll down his cheek. "…Don't make yourself another baggage to be carried, Jaune. Please, that's all I ask of you."

Professor Acht slumped forward, exiting the room with slowness to his step that seemed to be almost deliberate, if it were not for the genuine sadness on his countenance. I reached out towards him, but the door to the infirmary was already closed, and I felt a lump in my throat that couldn't go away. I wiped away the tears that were beginning to form from my eyes, and smiled at my reflection on the other side of the hall, one that carried the slightest hint of being broken. It wasn't on the same level as Professor Acht's, but at the same time…I was sure that if he saw my reflection right now, he'd immediately kick my ass to kingdom come.

Teardrops stained the sheets that I had been covered with, while the steady beep of the machine beside me became my company unless Pyrrha managed to wake up. For the first time in my life, I finally decided to let it out. My regrets in wanting to be a Huntsman. My frustration in wanting to prove to others that I _belonged_ here. My fear of Professor Acht selling me out to the Headmaster at any given day. My uselessness in trying to solve other's problems. As tears stained my vision and my lips quivered in regret, there was still the small spark of hope that resided deep within me, amidst all the doubts and fears that I harbored within.

It was the fact that Professor Acht had started to call me by my name.

[ _The Cynical Mentor_ ]

It was hard, trying to fix a mistake caused by one's self. After all, you can only actually start solving the problem by admitting that you made a mistake, and that mistake might have an effect on the people around you. I learned it the hard way, when Professor Acht had walked out on me the moment that I woke up after the Breach.

Now…Now, at least I can say that I was making baby steps towards progress. Once, twice, thrice a week I go up to the rooftop with Pyrrha, listening to Professor Acht tell stories about his old teammates and Pyrrha's sister. He told us about the first time he was assigned to their team, when they had looked upon him with disdain and distrust, thinking that he had somehow cheated his way in. He told us about his first mission in their team, wherein he had saved the life of his teammate Roman Torchwick, and how he managed to forge a friendship with him that lasted until this very day. My mentor told us about the shenanigans that he and his team had been through, specifically mentioning the times wherein Pyrrha had visited her sister's team in Vacuo. Not once did he mention something related to the fall of the Vacuan Academy for Gifted Students, nor about the death of Pyrrha's sister. He only mentioned the good memories that he had with his teammates. Of the missions, the frolicking, the battles…all of it, a testament to their overall skill.

Only now did I understand that it was his coping mechanism. The way where he had shared his burden between the three of us, so that the memory of his former team could live on. The stories became something of a weekly ritual, and once a week we would gather around the gardens behind Beacon near the hedges, and Professor Acht would share with us a story of his former team. It became something that we looked forward to, and something that allowed me to peer into my mentor's personality. Soon, I found out that he was actually socially-awkward, unable to talk to other people due to the fear that they might hate him, and that he could only talk comfortably between me and Pyrrha. Soon, he didn't bring his flask of liquor to 'nostalgia day', as he put it, instead telling us one day that he threw it over the cliffs so it wouldn't be a hassle. Soon, he became healthier. More lively. More willing to connect with other students. Pyrrha finally landed a hit on him a few months back, and he treated us to a drink at one of the various clubs around Vale. It turned out that the Invincible Girl wasn't immune to being drunk, and Professor Acht clarified that it was something than ran in the family, which then turned into an impromptu storytelling session about the times wherein Pyrrha's sister did some sort of stupid thing while she was drunk.

As of the moment, the two of us were currently in the locker rooms, getting ready for our two versus two match in the Vytal festival. The first round was pretty easy, since I just held the three frontliners back while Ren took off to eliminate the sniper, and Pyrrha and Nora worked together in order to demolish the rest of the competition. Now, it was the second round, and apprehension coursed through me as I fixed my hoodie, making sure that my armor was snug and still flexible enough for me to move efficiently. "It's alright, Jaune. You can do this."

"No encouragement for me?" Pyrrha teased, and I shot a blank glare towards her to which she replied with a laugh. I swear, Professor Acht was a bad influence to the both of us. We became more outspoken yes, but with it came the tendencies of trying to piss off other people just for kicks, along with having the inexplicable urge to tease someone at their most inopportune moment.

[Calling, Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc to Staging Area 2.]

The PA system blared to life, and I shared a gaze with my partner before we banged our shields together and made our way out of the locker room. Our gaze was clipped yet swift, and we avoided any kind of camera flashes sent our way as we went towards our destination– a waiting room that led towards the arena.

Standing in the middle of that room, was someone that I didn't expect. "You've come far, the two of you", Professor Acht said with a tinge of pride in his tone, evident in the smile that he gave to the two of us. To others it was a creepy smile, one that managed to make their skin crawl, but to the both of us, it was just another quirk of his. In fact, he managed to look even younger while smiling. Not that I would ever say that to his face, though. It seemed that my mentor valued the idea of looking older than everyone else. "One was a bumbling idiot that got into Beacon with false credentials, while the other one was a little kid that was lost in the desert, trying to search for her older sister."

Both of us flushed at our respective first meetings with our mentor, and we promptly cringed as Professor Acht brought out that damnable smirk. Flashes of emotion crossed his eyes for a few seconds before he let us pass, stepping to the side in order to let the two of us through. Pyrrha and I stepped forward, glancing towards each other with small smiles on our faces as we bowed in Professor Acht's direction. He blinked, the sudden action causing his crossed arms to be stuffed inside his pockets, and he stared at us with a single eyebrow raised.

Here's to hope that I didn't screw up my Mistralian. "Thank you very much, _sensei_." The two of us said in sync, before resuming our pace towards the arena itself. I glanced back towards Professor Acht, seeing the look of shock on his face, and I would've pictured him with a Scroll if we weren't so pressed for time. I smiled at him, and he immediately turned away and placed an arm over his eyes, wiping them clean of any dirt that might've gotten onto them for the past ten minutes. Or at least, that's what I would imagine his excuse to be once we get back.

A second later, he wiped the tears from his eyes and stared at us with a small grin on his face, sending the two of us a thumbs-up. "Give them hell, you two", he said, his voice promising pain if we ever lost this round. Naturally, as his students, we had to respond back in kind.

"Will do, Professor Acht."

And with that, the two of us stepped into the stage of the Vytal Tournament, our gazes locked onto our opponents, and our shields gleaming in the light.

 **EDIT: Currently stuck with the perspective of the next chapter. I've made a poll by my profile, so just vote there! I'll be checking on it later.**

 **EDIT 2: Poll is finished. Looks like the next chapter would be done from Qrow's perspective.**


	3. His Corvian Father

…

His Corvian Father

…

Some people say that the Branwen were horrible caretakers. That they were nothing more than good-for-nothing bandits living in the outlands of Mistral, and that they held no love for their family whatsoever. I might be inclined to agree, since our father never gave us the time of day, instead choosing to amuse himself with drink whilst hitting Raven and I for even the slightest mistakes. I still remember my first kill, standing over the cooling corpse of a well-to-do man that even had the grace to just give up his belongings without a fight. Yet the tribe said to leave no witnesses.

I could still remember the look on his face as I moved in with a gleaming knife, amidst the burning village that was filled with the raucous laughter of my fellow 'family', filled with fear, regret, and a burning rage to make a last stand. However, given that he didn't have Aura, he didn't stand a chance. I dodged against an obvious maker, stabbed him right through the heart and _twisted,_ watching as the light faded out of his eyes as his blood began pooling around him.

The visage never got out of my mind. It never did. The image served as a moral compass to me; that every life was precious, and my first kill only notified me of the fact that human life was so _fragile_. After that raid on the village, I…I had snuck into my father's quarters, slit his throat when he was too drunk with booze to realize that I wasn't even hiding, all under my twin's gaze. It was a hard decision for me to make, but one that I ultimately didn't regret in the end; it signified that I wouldn't take any more of the tribe's shit – Raven and I were splitting off from them until we die. We went to Beacon to escape…to run away from the past that had defined us all our lives as rascals, bandits, and thieves.

Oh, little did I know that big sister dearest took more heart to our father's lessons than I had expected. That was my first regret. I always thought that she had mellowed out under STRQ's care, but it turned out that she was…'distorted' from the start, is what I wanted to say. Where it was enough to subjugate, she killed. Where simple interrogation was enough, she tortured. Where I was more suited to spying missions, she was more suited to wet work. Ozpin noticed, and privately showed me the evidence that proved that Raven hadn't moved on from her life of killing. It was all there, just under the surface, and so under the radar that not even Summer, the squirt whose Semblance was _telepathy_ for goodness's sake, couldn't even figure out that Raven acted like that. It was like a switch inside her; a switch that changed her from aloof teammate to remorseless killer.

I kept it silent. That was my second regret. I believed that Oz could change her thinking; that an immortal wizard with enough experience could actually change my sister's bullheaded attitude about life and death. Still, I shouldn't have been surprised. Oz might've been immortal with lifetimes' worth of experience, but he was still a warrior first and foremost, standing in the frontlines in the fight against Salem. Of course he wouldn't know anything about therapy.

So, it all came to a head when Yang Xiao Long was born. The moment where Raven realized that there was no turning back from the deeds that she has done; wherein no matter how hard I tried to convince her that there was still a way for us to atone for our mistakes, she had just called me a fool. Two months. Raven had only held my first niece in her arms for two months before going back to the tribe. It was a stab to the heart. All these years that I trusted her, and she had repaid my efforts in keeping us alive by stabbing us in the back and going back to her 'family' of killers, thieves, and bandits. Tai wasn't the only one that got hurt the most, since he got Summer to 'comfort' him right after Raven left.

No, it was I that was stabbed in the back twice.

My third regret was letting Summer out in the outlands, alone. I knew that she could take care of herself. I knew that she was a better fighter than me. I also knew that Tai was busy in trying to raise Yang and Ruby, both of them only six and four at the time, where they needed all the attention that they could get. Still, it was the outlands of Mistral, an area that I knew like the back of my hand. Why was it that I left her alone, in search for a lead to _Raven_ , no less? I could've just told her that we were still in contact with one another; that even though we had our differences, we were still twins. If only I had just told her that before she left, then Summer would've…

Tai broke apart and my heart even more so. Summer…she was the light of our team, the one that was responsible for making sure that all of us stuck together through thick and thin. Without her, the two of us drifted apart, with me taking on solo missions far away from Patch like those in Vacuo or in Atlas. I thought that Tai could handle it alone. That he was strong enough to live through it all. A Semblance describes a person's core after all, and so I knew that Tai would've been fine.

But Yang and Ruby were almost killed, searching for Summer's tracks.

It was one of the few times that I was truly angry at Tai for letting such a thing happen. It was one of the few times that I saw him for the broken man that he truly is, and how badly he's holding things apart. That the smiles that he always wore were nothing more than mere facades, meant to reassure others that everything was fine, even though he almost lost everything. It was the first time that I heard him say that he was contemplating suicide. That he would be better off dead rather than stay in the living where living evidences of his mistakes hung on him until the rest of his life.

A punch broke him out of that thinking. It took an all-out brawl just to make sure he won't say such an idiotic fucking thing again when Yang and Ruby were still in the house. The healing process was slow; I had to book him a therapist just to make sure that he wouldn't crack again. Still, years pass, and as time flows on the pain lessens just a bit – it makes the loss all that easier to cope with. Now, Yang was fourteen with Ruby twelve, with the blonde just starting at Signal and Ruby getting some special treatment from me.

The mission was supposed to be an easy one, and once again came from Mistral. I was supposed to investigate rumors of a silver-eyed kid living in an orphanage in the area, and report back to Oz as to what I had found. Everything had gone to shit the moment I got inside the orphanage: turned out that the caretakers were nothing more than renamed child slavers, and the kids inside had staged a plan to get out on the same day. It seemed that my Semblance wanted to take a piss out of me, and it showed in the fact that I arrived just in the nick of time before a Beowolf managed to slash a boy's face in. About seventeen, with a lanky frame but with an abnormally tall height for his age, and was covered in scratches and bruises that might have come from running through the forest.

I ended up adopting him, named him 'Hheron' for his long legs and tall height. And it all came back around in full circle.

…

His Corvian Father

…

"Qrow, you don't even know how to take care of a child", Tai nagged over the sound of frying omelets; "He's seventeen, turning eighteen in a few months! That means that you've only got a few months before he's on his own, for crying out loud!"

"And what do I do?" I challenged him, "Leave him off for another orphanage, except _this time_ the owners are actually madmen who wanted to experiment on children?" A growl rose out of my throat, leaning forward so that I could meet Tai's eye. "Whatever those bastards at the orphanage did, they did a number on him. That and he was the only one that I managed to find in the whole forest, so he's probably nursing a lot of survivor's guilt." Damn my Semblance. Damn it to hell. If they were expressions of our individuality, then did that mean that I saw myself as nothing more than someone who shits on everyone's day?

"You don't think I know that?" Tai growled, setting down the plates on the table a lot stronger than he was supposed to. The china cracked ever-so slightly, and the nails on the table creaked in place. "That kid lived in a situation that would've normally killed him. Of _course_ he's going to feel regretful of the fact that he was the only one able to survive." It was a good thing that Yang was currently in Signal and Ruby was currently in elementary. Oum knows what might happen if they were to overhear this.

Tai perked up, glancing towards the back door, where my adopted son entered, his face still set in a blank tone. His hair was messy as usual, with color like a raven's feathers, and a single tuft of hair stood up, unable to be combed down by any means. Gray eyes devoid of passion and life stared at the table, idly noting Tai's gaze and mine, quickly brushing it off as he moved towards us with slow, lethargic steps. Meet Hheron Branwen, my newly-adopted son of a few weeks. Might be a part sloth faunus, but I think that's just how he normally does things.

All conversation died between Tai and I as my adopted son seated himself at one of the empty chairs, accidentally taking Yang's own as he sat down on it. The look of relief on his face was enough to make me snort, but still – no conversation. Oum was I doing a good job of being a parent. "Here", Tai said, sliding a plate towards Hheron as the latter simply looked on at the egg, "I made another one just for you, so just eat up. You can't possibly survive on an empty stomach."

"I'll manage", was the reply that came out of his mouth, taking the spoon with the same lethargic moments and stuffing a bite of the omelet into his mouth. He hummed, didn't say another word, yet by the fact that he paced himself faster; I could say that he liked the food. "…This is good."

"Heh, made it myself, you see", Tai said, preening with pride at the fact that someone had praised his skills in cooking. He regaled the kid with the tales of his experiments, as to how he wanted to get everything right for his 'little darling angels' (as he described them), and Hheron was content to simply just listen, never doing more than humming, nodding, or smirking. By this point, I could only equate the kid's smirk with a smile.

As the conversation was winding down and his omelet was almost finished, I made myself useful and spoke up. I was never one for subtlety after all. "So kid", I said, waving my flask at the table before placing it gently on top of the woodwork, "What are you going to do? Go to school? Help out around the house? Get started on earning yourself a job?"

Silence was my reply, and I could _feel_ Tai's disapproval from across the table. But I didn't care. What I needed was to make sure that Hheron had set himself a goal for the past few weeks that he's been here. To make sure that after all that shit that he's been through, he still hasn't lost who he fundamentally was. "I could handle myself academically", he said, his voice once again a low whisper that made me strain my ears just so I could hear him. Always soft-spoken, never raising a voice unless he was required to. It was probably another one of the things that the 'caretakers' managed to drill into his mind. "As for helping around the house, I don't have much experience in housework, but I'm a little bit interested. As for earning a job, I think that I'm going to need a few credentials and various references first before I could reliably get one."

I hummed, nodding along to his quite frankly logical explanation. It would seem like he had thought this through, or he was just someone that always liked thinking about such things. "Then what are you going to do?" Tai asked, a look of concern on his face as he crossed his arms and stared at Hheron with worry written all over his face. "You've got less than a year before you're on your own. What could you do, then?"

Hheron kept silent, instead letting his eyes do the work for him. They glanced towards the far corner of the room, where Harbinger leaned against the wall in its sheathed form, and promptly glanced back towards me, a look of determination on his face. "I want to protect people from going through the same thing as me", he began, and even I was taken a little aback by his maturity. "Being a member of the militia or the police isn't going to work, since most orphanages inside settlements and cities are closely monitored by the governing body. No, most of the things that happened in… _that_ place were done in far-off villages, where they have all the sense of secrecy in the world as long as they have a dedicated force to protect them against the…Grimm. I want to be one of those people that can put a stop to their operations."

"So you're going to be a Huntsman." Tai summarized with a frustrated sigh, and I can't help but glance at my adopted son in slight worry. Less than a year left before he's a full-fledged adult, and he wants to do a profession that takes a decade of initial training before everything could fall into place. My heart sank, and given that Tai's eyes were clouded, I could say the same for him as well. "It's going to be a tough job. Not to mention, those who wanted to be one started off about a decade ago. You're going to be well behind them in…well, everything, really." As of the moment, Yang could probably beat him up. Plus, Hheron _still_ didn't have his Aura unlocked.

"If that's what I'm going to be called, then that's what I want to be."

Both of us sighed, a flash of Summer and her stubbornness going through our minds before staring at one another and giving out an imperceptible sigh. "If you want to, then we'll train you", I said, rising on my feet and moving towards the corner to get Harbinger, nudging at the back door. "Get out the door then, Hheron. We're starting today."

He paused for a second, a slow blink coming across his eyes as he stared at me with wide eyes like a fish. Fitting, since his eyes looked _exactly_ like them. I stood by the back door, pushing it open with the handle of my weapon, and he stood up whilst giving me a suspicious look, as if it was too good to be true. I had to applaud him for that. It seemed like Hheron had a good head on his shoulders – a fine trait for a good Huntsman to have.

My adopted son _was_ right on one thing, though – that the offer was too good to be true.

…

His Corvian Father

…

Less than a year had passed and yet I was already seeing my son off an airship leading out from Patch, the airship headed towards Vacuo. The damn thing was nearly empty as always, but it could suddenly seem quite full when you've got a loved one ready to strike their own fortune. He seemed comfortable in his seat, and he gave me a thin smirk, giving me a salute as he strapped his weapon to his thigh. Truly, less than a year had passed, and he already was more experienced than some of the brats that I've seen graduating out of Signal.

His mind probably had something to do with that. Ever since our first spar, he had always used it to its fullest extent, sharpening it in order to function as a tool that would help him fight. He already knew that he was going to be far behind the rest of the flock when it came to fighting, Aura, and Semblances, so he compensated by specializing in the matters of the mind. No trick too dirty, no tactic too impure – my son struck out with cold, unyielding efficiency that even _I_ was astounded by the fact that he could do such a thing. Sure, he looked like a noodle whose definition of good time consists of just sitting in a corner and reading a book, but damn did he have fucking claws.

Aura, though…that matter was tricky. I unlocked it the 'family's' way, only doing so when he manages to prove himself towards me. It brought a bad taste to my mouth, using the Branwen way in order to train up my son, but I did begrudgingly agree that it had results.

The problem though, was that the moment that I unlocked Hheron's Aura, it was almost nonexistent. Oh, it was there, manifesting as a gray light that hugged close to his skin whenever he took damage, but the _amount_ of it was so miniscule that a simple punch was enough for it to break. So, the training still continued, and he still got bruises, scratches, scrapes, and scars from the training, but there wasn't enough Aura to make sure that they healed properly. Oh, the scars on his arms had healed properly, alright, but his back and front? There were mostly unnoticeable, but they were still there.

Still, he pursued his career. In hindsight, it should've been so unnatural – the fact that he wanted to be a Huntsman without the usual tools that a Huntsman had should be enough to clue me in that something was wrong, but I only realized it when the airship had already left towards his destination. With barely enough Aura, piddling fighting skills, and no Semblance, would he get rejected even before he reached Vacuo? There was a high chance that he would. Still, I couldn't say it to his face. It was better if he experienced it for himself, and learned that there were other things to do in this world aside from wasting time.

I know that I'm a shitty father. It was literally in the Branwen blood that we _simply do not know how to raise children_. But one day, Hheron would be looking back to this moment, and realize that _at least_ I wasn't as bad as Raven.

So, it was to my complete and utter surprise that I found him accepted into the Vacuan Academy for Gifted Children. Like, it was _the_ premier school in the area, just like how Beacon was for the rest of Vale. I hadn't expected him to be accepted, but apparently he did. Oh, and I got a sneak peek at the place where he was staying.

You know what people say about Vacuo, and how it wasn't important? Well, they obviously hadn't seen the Vacuan Academy for Gifted Children; or VAGC (heh) for short. It was in short, a city over the largest oasis in the Vacuan Desert. There was plumbing. There was sewage management. There was the fact that the water that came out of the sewage management plant was do damn _clear_ that it was just dumped back into the oasis. Oh, and there was a large dome around the damn thing that served as a water collection area. Was this what Vacuo was supposed to be hiding all along? Because if it was, then I'd be shooting for the moon, my manners damned.

The VAGC was the closest thing to a desert fortress that I had ever seen, hidden below decades of propaganda echoed by Vale and Atlas. Might be the reason as to _why_ the Great War had been so damn degrading. Who knew that Vacuo was hiding a goldmine such as _that_?

Still, I cheered him on, gave him some pointers on living with a co-ed dormitory. It wasn't a learning experience for me since I was raised in the tribe, but the 'orphanage' where Hheron had been probably had such things as segregation laws. I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't even seen a girl naked yet.

…

His Corvian Father

…

Three years passed, and on one sunny afternoon, I turned on the news to discover that the Grimm overran the VAGC. I could feel my blood still, my afternoon drink forgotten as I surged out of the bar and ran towards Tai's lodge. I hadn't even realized that I had switched forms until Tai told me so. "I'm contacting Ozpin. Maybe he could get a Bullhead up in the air within a few hours, and I'll run for Vacuo as soon as I get on."

"Qrow."

"Or maybe I could just fly the whole way? I mean, the distance _is_ far yes, and I'll be stuck out on the wilds for days, but if that means that I won't be detectable to the Grimm, then I guess I should go for it. I might even get a headstart if I start flying now."

"Qrow!"

"What!?" I snarled back, meeting Tai's cool gaze as I heaved a deep breath and allowed the tension to go out of my body. Right. I shouldn't panic. Panicking in this type of situation would only make things worse. Keep yourself calm, and think about the situation logically. How could you contact your own son if he's in the middle of a Grimm invasion?

It was quite simple, actually. You don't; at least, not until the invasion was over. Only thencan you call them via CCT, ascertain if they're fine, try to let them go through the motions while you're holding onto a therapist's number in your other hand…Three years. It had been three years since I shipped off Hheron to the VAGC, and Oz had used that opportunity to shuttle me on missions constantly, citing that with my son in a relatively safe place for the moment, I should focus on my original task. Spying on villages, tracking down Maidens, finding out what Salem's plans were…It was an unproductive three years.

Then suddenly, the closest thing to a desert fortress was currently being sieged by armies of Grimm. The whole think simply _reeked_ of sabotage. Just what the hell was I doing? Back then I knew that Vacuo wasn't just a Kingdom on the verge of falling to the desert sands, so just _why_ hadn't I investigated the damn place for any sort of backhand dealings? Did Oz just send me out on other missions because he _knows_ that I'll be worried? Or does he want to keep a secret of some sort?

Either way…my son was probably dead out there, his corpse being feasted on by the Grimm. The thought of it made my heart sank, and a pit to form at the bottom of my stomach. Gods…just thinking about it was enough to make me retch. I need to have a drink before I contact Oz about this… "Qrow", Tai's voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I glance towards him with a half-lidded glare, "Think about this, Qrow. If Ozpin doesn't want you to be going on missions in Vacuo, then what else has he kept hidden from you?"

I shut my mouth up at that. Tai had a point; if Oz had been keeping information about Vacuo from me, then that means that he doesn't want me finding anything out about…Vacuo, of all things. Ugh, it was hard to get rid of the sludge that they forced onto me about that Kingdom. 'Totally useless' this, 'only good for sand' yadda, even though I received a live transmission from my son that showed the fact that it was an actual, _thriving_ Kingdom. Ugh, hard to change perspectives when you're already an old man…which I'm _definitely_ not.

"Then–"

"–Qrow, if you're about to do something stupid, I'll stop you right here. I…I don't know what to tell Yang and Ruby if they come in here and find you missing." Anger flared up at Tai's words, but I forced myself to calm down and think of it from his perspective. Yang and Ruby were just entering their teenage years, with all of the damn hormones that came with it. Normally, it was something that I'd foist on Tai, but…I'm starting to think that it was going to be more than just a possibility now.

"Tai", I said, gripping his shoulder and making sure that I gripped it tight, forcing him to look me in the eyes. "That's my fucking _son_ out there in Vacuo, being decimated by piles of Grimm. I don't care whether or not I'll get a corpse or see him up and running without a care in the world. I. Will. Find. Him."

I didn't wait for Tai's reply. There wasn't really a need to. A shift of will, and I flapped my wings, zooming out of the window and out towards the expansive sky. It was already sunset in Patch, and the hues of oranges and blues were usually a sight to die for when you're flying across the winds.

Now however, the only thing that I could think about is how much distance I have to cover before I could reach my son.

…

His Corvian Father

…

Another three years passed. This time, I'd lost all hope of finding my son. I scoured through the remains of the VAGC, went through every metal scrap and sandstone that I could dig up, but I found _nothing_. Not even a proof of his existence. Not even a single scrap of bloodied cloth that I could've traced back to him. Come to think of it, it was the last time that I realized that Oz _wasn't_ as benevolent as he tried to be. Just what the hell was he thinking, only sending help two weeks after the Kingdom was burned to the ground?

…Great. I'm now hearing Raven say 'I told you so' in my mind.

Still, Hheron's…my son's loss wasn't something that I could normally recover from. Not _normally_ anyway; alcohol helped with dulling the pain – the years spent idly mumbling about the idiosyncratic things that he'd say, or the fact that he ranted about almost anything while we were training. It was worse during the day that I brought him back from the clutches of a Beowolf – his so-called 'birthday' so to speak, and I'd need something that could kill an elephant just so the day could pass by without much fuss.

Now…I'm on another mission by Oz, this time in trying to track down a fucking _Maiden_ out of all things on foot, wings, whatever. She escaped, ditching her guards since she 'wanted to be left alone', but all I could see was that she was having that time of the month. Really, was Oz on crack when he made the Maidens? Because that's the feeling that I was getting when the woman at that time of the month shooed her guards away with a lightning bolt.

Gave her about a headstart of about three days. I was too busy trying to recover from the fucking hangover to even give a shit about trying to track the Maiden down, so I was a bit slower than I had expected. By the time I caught up however, I found someone trying to do their best to ambush her, with less-than-predictable results. Honestly, I don't even know _why_ Oz made sure to assign guards to Maidens. I mean, they could just blast the walls of a Kingdom open and let the Grimm come, and they'd be perfectly fine in the thick of it.

So, what I did was just sit down and try to find some sort of close substitute for popcorn. I mean, I could always come in if Amber was feeling a little bit too overwhelmed, but I think that I just wanted to stay for the fight. Oz's orders could go fuck themselves. I could always say that the bitch slammed a lightning bolt in my face, after all, and he wouldn't even notice…Senile old man…

…Oh, looks like Amber's down for the count. Well, time to help her out…

My eyes narrow, watching the telltale markings of a Grimm coming out of the ambusher's skin. Salem's people, I could guess. Well, it wasn't as if I had any problem in just letting the scene pass. I mean, sure it would be a complete annoyance if Salem's allies had a Maiden in their ranks, and it _would_ be funny to see Oz's face contort as if he had a bout of indigestion. But the whole 'draining Maiden powers' thing? That looked a little bit iffy. Guess I _could_ care after all, if only it was for investigation.

I took a step forward, taking a deep breath to will my body to shift, and I surged forward with a burst of Aura on my feet, swinging Harbinger towards the Grimm parasite-thing that seemed to be sucking off Amber. Sucking _out_ Amber. Sucking out Amber's powers. Whatever. The point was that Harbinger cleaved through the damn thing as it let out a dying shriek, and even the woman that it was connected to let out a pretty good scream. Good. I was dreading that it was just some form of commensalism or something. Lucky me.

Another swipe drove them back, with one idiot thinking she could use her mind powers against me. She got smacked in the side for that, and Harbinger sent her flying off to the side with a nasty gash on her side. A quick pull of the handguard later, and Harbinger shifted to a scythe, and I charged forward once again with gleaming steel at the ready. I headed towards the woman wearing red, my instincts telling me to cut the head off from the snake, and I drew back my scythe so that the gray-haired guy launched himself towards the butt of my scythe. This was the problem with dealing with two opponents.

…Lucky for me however, it seems that the tables were going to be turned. A cloaked man moved, a black blade hurtling through the air and impaling one of the silver haired dude's legs. He squawked, pinned to the ground by the force of the throw, and the cloaked man immediately moved in and stabbed the bastard through the heart. Again, again, and again, until his Aura ran out and the black blade now moved smoothly in between the ribs.

With such an efficient kill done, I turned back towards my opponent, only to find her nursing her wounds with the green-haired skank from earlier, already running back into the forest. I moved to pursue, but the cloaked man blocked my path by holding up an arm, and I growled as I pointed Harbinger to his neck. To my surprise however, the cloaked man simply edged the blade away with his black blade. "Nice seeing you again, Qrow."

I blink, the world around me slowing down to a crawl as my mind tried to process the voice. Three years ago…six years ago, yes…a teen about to be eaten by a Beowolf…No. No way. There was no _fucking_ way that he's still alive. I went through the ruins! There was _nothing_ left! "Who the fuck are you!?"

The cloaked man turned around and pried off his hood with the black blade, revealing messy unkempt hair that probably hasn't been washed for weeks. The eyes were still the same as I could remember – gray, and devoid of passion and life. A thin smirk was on his lips, and even the black blade that he wielded was the same one that I had seen him use before he went off, with a few slight modifications.

"Hheron Branwen", my _dead_ son replied, "…Congratulations, Qrow. The prodigal son returns."

…

His Corvian Father

…

"Just where the _hell_ have you been!?" I roared and slammed the table backwards, prompting the rest of the inhabitants to get out of the tavern. They probably knew what it was like to have a pissed Hunter wanting to blow off some steam. I tossed a bag at the counter, where it promptly dented the wood, and turned back to face my _son_ with blazing eyes. "Not even a call from a CCT. Not even a peep with you. Just how am I supposed to know that you've been alive for _years_ now, Hheron!?" I controlled my breath, steeling my nerves as the arm holding Harbinger shook, slowly inching away from my son's neck. Great. Less than a day after meeting my supposedly- _dead_ son, I've already got a blade by his neck.

Gods, I'm becoming more and more like Raven every day…I guess that realization was telling enough, since Hheron placed a hand on the blade and carefully lowered it back down onto where the table should be…if it were not for my earlier outburst. "I go by Acht nowadays", he said, his tone calm and even. As if he had already expected such a thing to happen. "Makes me harder to identify as a…survivor, of the VAGC." My eyes narrow as he smirks, placing a worn Scroll on the table. "Looks like you caught on quick, dad. The whole incident was sabotage." He motioned to the Scroll, keeping his expression schooled into a neutral line as he continued, "…This was the Scroll of one of the perpetrators. Owned by one Arthur Watts." My eyes widen before I knew it, and Hheron– no, _Acht_ (because I couldn't remember him smirking in such a way), smirked. "I guess the name's quite familiar to you?"

 _He knows_.

That was the only thought that ran through my head for a few seconds, before something snapped into place and I looked at my son– no, at _Acht_ with cold eyes. "What evidence do you have to prove that the Scroll is actually his?" Seeing as his expression didn't change, I could only sigh, picking up the Scroll and browsing through the files…and promptly choked on my own spit after seeing just _what_ they contained.

Once again, I turned back to meet his eyes, one that was both blank and calculating at the same time. I knew those types of eyes; those were the ones who always kept their expressions neutral, those who never shared what the thought with others. Those eyes were what I saw in Acht…and now that I think about it, those eyes were also what I saw at every other player in the game. A sound of realization crossed my lips, and I gripped Arthur Watts' scroll tighter. Another new player in the game. My _son_ was a new player in the game of Remnant.

Another mistake that could be absolved by simply choosing to enroll him somewhere else.

I let out a sigh. A tired and frustrated one, brought about by the various revelations that kept on happening today. First was Salem's minions coming after Amber, and nearly taking her out for the count. Another was the fact that my errant, wayward, supposedly- _dead_ son was still alive, and now…he was another player in a game that could affect everyone on Remnant.

To think that his melancholy would only come from experience…It seemed that I still thought of him as a kid that was lost and was simply trying to find his way. Now that he's all grown-up, though…I can't help but regret wanting to stay by his side a little while longer. "Alright", I said, opening my eyes as I focused back on the topic at hand, "You've got me interested. What do you want?"

"Protection." He succinctly replied, folding his hands on his legs as if trying to emulate a businessman. I give him seven and a half out of ten. "I was the one that took the bastard out–" My eyes widen at that admission, but if Acht recognized it, he simply ignored my outburst and continued, "–and whatever parasitic Grimm that Salem had implanted to her minions would most likely report back to her about Watts' death, and his murderer."

My lips moved, and he silenced me with a glare, answering the question that I was supposed to ask. "I don't care about Salem, nor about Ozpin", he said, with complete and utter certainty that I couldn't help but blink. "They're nothing more than senile old fools willing to drag the world to hell along with their selfishness. In fact, I'm more than willing to take the chance to eliminate them both, if the opportunity arises." My eyes narrowed, and a hand itched for Harbinger, only for a part of my conscience telling me that I shouldn't raise a blade towards my _son_. "…Well, I guess it's alright for you to act that way", Acht said, a depreciating smile on his face that looked like he was taking pity on me. "You haven't had a conversation with the genie, after all."

I froze, the hand itching towards Harbinger staying still as I looked towards Acht with wide eyes. It was a given that he knew about the Relics and the Maidens used to contain them, given the amount of information on Watts' Scroll, but to secure a Maiden to his side? _Amber_. "You…" I managed to get out, a growl coming forth from my lips as I found purchase in Harbinger's handle, but Acht simply stared at me with the same – now unnerving – calm as before. It was like staring at a second Ozpin, but one that developed over a single lifetime.

"The Maiden that let me into Mistral's vault wasn't Amber", he said, a thin smile on his face as he frowned, a flicker of emotion finally surfacing in his eyes. It would've been comforting to note, but a rock only dropped deeper into my stomach when I realized that Acht, my _son_ , was staring at me in _anger_. "Let's just say that we had…a family reunion."

Gears clicked into place, and the shock on my face was replaced with regret. I stared outside the window, making sure that Acht didn't see the clenched fist that I hid behind me. Damn Raven. Damn her, alright. I was going to tell him sometime later, but she _just_ had to stick in her head where it didn't belong, didn't it? "Qrow. Look at me."

My name brought me out of my thoughts, and I found myself glancing back towards my son, only to find a familiar black blade pressed against the edge of my throat. For the first time, I stared into my son's eyes and saw the unbridled _rage_ hidden within. Rage at me for keeping the truth. Rage at everyone else for keeping silent. If he kept on showing his emotions like this, then he'd attract Grimm to the village, in numbers that even I wouldn't chance on fighting against.

I already knew the question that he was going to ask. The only thing is…I don't know as to whether or not I want to answer it.

"…Was my birth a mistake, or not?"

…

His Corvian Father

…

"What are you doing here?" My voice was cold, the adrenaline from my fight with Ice Queen not having mellowed down to a more manageable level. Once again, Acht stared at me with cool indifference, but now I knew better. He was observing – analyzing me for any potential information that might benefit him in the long run. Was it weird that I'm getting played by my own son?

"I'm a professor here, Qrow." He coldly replied, before stepping out of Harbinger's blade and turning back towards Beacon. I held onto Harbinger's grip for a little while longer, knowing that glint in his eyes now that I had seen it, but when a Maiden slammed into his side, I knew that he wouldn't do anything…probably. They were still in public, after all.

""Uncle Qrow!""

The voice of my nieces pull me out of my thoughts, and I turned towards them with a lazy smirk on my face, sheathing Harbinger and pulling out my hip flask just to reinforce the image. The taste sucked, but that was what you get when you start drinking nothing but ordinary water again. Damn Acht…I think I'm going to be losing my hair before I turn forty if this trend keeps up. "Hello squirts." I said in a lazy drawl, doing a formal bow like what those uppity Schnees…and failing, much to my nieces' laughter. Good, all according to plan, then. "Glad to see that you're all doing well."

"Yeah, well we were just having a normal day until _someone_ started to fight a Schnee." As usual, Yang was boisterous as ever, still keeping that lazy smirk on her face that all verified Branwens seemed to have. Gods, did she look like Raven whenever she does that. All the more reason as to why I needed to have a drink.

"Oh yeah, that was cool and all, with all of the slashes and the guns and the jumping it was like–" I tuned Ruby out, simply giving her a smile and a pat on the head. It was weird, seeing her jab her hands at mid-air whilst making some sound effects, but she was still fifteen, so I guess it was warranted. Granted, they're still teenagers, so they were _bound_ to have some hormones running through their bodies. It would seem like only Acht was the exception…again.

"Uncle Qrow, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby hollered once again, and I hummed while I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. "Why'd you start to pick a fight with Professor Acht?"

My eye twitched before I knew it. I swear Summer's kid with Taiyang picked up an uncanny way of manifesting her mother's traits. How did she know when to put someone on a spot? I'd like to learn as well. Maybe I can nudge Acht into one. "Right, that", Yang spoke up, and it was that moment that I knew I was screwed. The moment those two were interested in something, they weren't going to give up. "You seemed like you were pretty angry and surprised that he came here at Beacon. You had some bad blood with him?"

"You could say that." Additionally, you have _no_ idea. I glanced towards the tower, where I could only assume as to where Amber had taken him, and my hand twitched as I moved to give Acht a salute. If he can pull through with both Ozpin and Jimmy on his heels, then I'd be damned. Whatever he was planning, those two probably deserved it.

"Ooh, ooh, can you tell me Uncle Qrow?" I snorted, shaking my head as Ruby squawked and started punching me in the stomach. Luckily for me, my eyes were closed, so I didn't give in to those damnable puppy dog eyes. "…Meanie." Luckily, good thing that my eyes were closed, since Ruby was now probably pouting.

When I opened my eyes, I made sure to immediately focus on Beacon's main building before anything else. "So, you said that Acht teaches something, right? What does he teach?"

""Hunter Combat Class 101."" Both of them replied at the same time, and I narrowed my eyes at that. Teaching kids how to fight against other Hunters? It sounded like Glynda's class, but it wouldn't be an actual subject if it didn't have some kind of planned curriculum. Knowing Acht…Well, knowing what Watts' Scroll had, I'm pretty sure he's preparing them for what was to come.

A smile formed on my face, even as I slid a hand down my pocket and thumbed Watts' Scroll. It seemed that even though he wanted _their_ plans to happen, he took steps to make sure to limit damages…a far cry from how Ozpin operates. Once again, I sighed, turning towards my nieces with a thin smile on my face.

"So, you think you can take me to his class?"

"Sure, why not? He's our next class, anyways." Yang replied with a shrug, and egged her sister towards the main building, shooting a smile at me to follow her lead. I sighed, something that I seemed to do a lot more often after meeting Acht, and trudged along with them until we entered Beacon's training hall. There were still some students trickling into the hall by the time that Acht came in, and all of those who came in after him were immediately marked as late.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that. Another Glynda. Great. I glanced towards Yang and Ruby, who were seated to my right, "So, what do you here, exactly?"

"Oh, that's simple!" Ruby piped up, "We try and hit Professor Acht, and then he keeps on beating us down unless we find new ways to beat _him_ up as well!" Then, she grew sheepish, and promptly began pushing her fingers together, "I mean, we still haven't hit him _yet_ , but you know…it's a work in progress."

That good, huh? I turned back towards Acht, who was now standing in the middle of the arena like what Glynda does in her classes, and he gazed down towards the Scroll in his hand, a finger lazily scrolling through (heh) the list until a glimmer of something flashed across his eyes. "Emerald Sustrai, you're up."

A guy from somewhere in the bleachers groaned, standing up at the urge of his teammates as he began making his way towards the arena. My eyes immediately locked onto his figure, noting the confident poise that the student had in spite of looking everything like a first-year student… _Weird_. I glance towards his teammates, finding a redhead with an eyepatch over the left side of his face and a young woman in a brown vest and bandages wrapped around her body. My eyes glanced back towards Acht, a question forming from the eye contact, and my son gave me an imperceptible nod.

Huh. It seemed like Oz wasn't even running proper background checks, anymore. What is he, senile?

"Well, today's a little bit different, since an evaluator's watching us", he began, shooting a smirk my way, "Which means that for this one time and one time only, you guys would be seeing my weapon." Ruby gasped from somewhere beside me, and the rest of the class began whispering towards one another until a storm of chattering enveloped the entire training hall.

Wait… "So, he beat up all of you guys while he's unarmed?" It was more of a statement than a question, and even I could see Yang shirking under my smug stare. I even waved at the board above for emphasis, "…Even though he has almost no Aura?" This time, even Ruby wilted, and I quickly focused on the fight in order to avoid her pout, shaking my head as I did so. "…Looks like both of you still have a long way to go."

The student called Sustrai (if she was even a student or her name) readied her weapons, and Acht smirked, withdrawing something from the back of his waist and pointing it towards her, end-first. It looked like a sword's handle, but the entire blade was missing – only a slot for…something else, I wasn't sure. There was a lever built into the handguard that swiveled at the center, and extended towards the pommel, and the handle itself was wrapped in cloth. The entire thing looked like the handle of one of those katana-things that Raven always seemed to be fond of…so was Acht the same?

"Begin."

Sustrai charged forward, the revolvers that she held extending into mini-scythes as she quickly swung them down towards Acht. I could see her teammates glimmer in anticipation, and I hummed, making sure to take a note of that before reporting those three to Oz later. As of the moment, I was interested in how much Acht had improved since he left for Vacuo.

And oh boy did he not disappoint.

My son pulled the lever on his weapon, with black dust shooting out from the slot before solidifying into the shape of a…yep, that's a katana alright. Using the newly-formed blade, Acht forced Sustrai into a deadlock by catching the insides of the mini-scythes into his blade, before yanking backwards to unbalance her. Sustrai retaliated by pulling the triggers to her revolvers, but Acht had already ducked, sweeping her legs as she finally fell. Knowing a chance, Acht immediately surged forward, sliding out of the blade lock with an elegance that I haven't seen before, and quickly lashed out towards the girl's legs. Before she even hit the ground, her Aura was no more, and the match ended with a spy and potential Salem minion cradling her head in pain as she walked back towards the bleachers.

Little did I know, but a smile formed on my face back then. It seemed like he inherited the best of both worlds…and I couldn't help but be proud of what he's become. The match done, he pulled the lever once again, the black dust dissipating into vapor, and I watched in mild curiosity as he loaded a Dust cartridge onto the pommel. His eyes glanced towards his Scroll, and a smirk formed on his lips, glancing towards his audience with a sadistic gleam in his eyes. "Who's next?"

Everyone shirked away from him…except for Ruby, who was so busy in her tirade about my son's weapons that she had accidentally raised her hand up while she was expounding on how their professor's weapon probably worked. "Miss Rose, glad to see that you have some enthusiasm today." My son's voice proved enough to shock my niece out of her thoughts, and she quickly whirled towards the ring as blood paled from her face. Yang patted her back in consolation, while the rest of her teammates made supportive gestures, but it was clear to see that nobody wanted to be in the same ring as Acht.

I nod, satisfied with my thoughts for the moment as I rose up and began making my way out the door. Second coming of Glynda, indeed.

…

His Corvian Father

…

"Qrow, get off." I tilt my head to the side, squawking at my son's annoyed expression as I kept on pecking him on the head. With an annoyed grunt, he picked me up by the neck and threw me off, but not before I took some hairs off him. Less than a second later however, I felt myself unable to move, courtesy of black blades pinning my feathers to the wall, and I couldn't help but squawk once again as Acht stepped towards me with a glint coming from his glasses, his blade raised and ready to cut me down in one swing.

Of course, I reverted back, rolling once and narrowly dodging the blow that came for my neck. I stopped myself by jamming a heel onto the wall, and quickly rolled to the side as the black blade sung through the space to my side. I caught myself and went back to a standing position, situated quite a distance away from my son, and he sighed as the black blade dissipated back into vapor. "There are easier ways to get my attention, you know."

"How the hell did you even know that I was–" I paused, before remembering the fact that _he knows_ , before cursing for forgetting such an important statement. _He knows_. That, plus given that he went on a 'family reunion' with Raven, meant that he knew about her bird form, and the powers that Oz gave us as well.

"So you're the tail that Oz sent, huh?" He stated more than asked, sending a quirked brow towards me as I turned my gaze back towards the night sky and kept silent. "…Seems pretty senile of the old man. Did he really think that you wouldn't be compromised by the fact that I'm your _son_?"

I frowned, but conceded the point. Acht had been getting on my nerves lately, and couple that with the various cards that he held close to his chest, there had been a few times where I acted irrational in order to gather some of the information that he had stockpiled. Burned a few favors through the underground as well…Damn it. "Let's talk."

"Oh, so _now_ you're willing to talk." The calm façade went down for an instant, showing me the hate behind his eyes, and I froze up at the sheer bloodlust that he exuded before my nerves calmed me back down. "Go on, then. _Talk_. You still haven't answered my damn question." Acht leaned back down against the wall, making sure that I saw his weapon nice and clear, before he pulled out something that I didn't expect on someone like him. A hip flask, just like mine.

"Been drinking?" I asked, taking a step towards my son as cool gray eyes swiveled onto me before going back to his drink.

"…A ritual." He conceded after a moment of silence, and he gulped the alcohol down before offering it towards me. "Know what day is it today, Qrow?" He asked with a raised brow, and to my confused expression, replied with exasperation. "…Figures. Three years are a very long time. Most outsiders wouldn't even know what today even means, given that they simply watched it from behind a screen. They weren't there…didn't hear the screams, the cries for help. And you couldn't do anything but keep yourself alive." His hands shook, and he stared out towards the broken moon with a dead look in his eyes. It was then that I remembered the swathes of black that ran throughout the desert – their numbers so great that even a sandstorm couldn't completely block out their numbers.

"The VAGC."

"I'd prefer you not use that damn acronym." Acht snapped back, a twitch in his left eye as he took another sip out of his flask. The way that this was going, he's going to pass out. And he's got class tomorrow – just what the hell was he thinking? "Still, better late than never, I guess." He angled the flask towards me once again, a small smirk on his lips. "…Want some?"

"Sure." Booze was still booze, right? And even though I'd sworn off to plain water, well…a habit's hard to break. I took the flask from his hand, tipping it back and letting the amber liquor burn through my throat, and I let out a throaty sigh. "…Damn, this stuff burns."

"Vacuan."

Ah. That makes sense. "So, I get that it's the anniversary of the VAGC's fall, but do you really have to–"

"–Watch your next words, _Qrow_ ", Acht said, and I felt the edge of a blade at my throat once again. "Those were my _team_ fighting on the frontlines, fighting even when we were surrounded by an endless wave of Grimm." He pressed the edge closer, and I felt a warm liquid beginning to flow out. "Ornus Fischer was torn apart and pecked to death by Nevermores. Tyre Nikos was killed by pushing me out of a Deathstalker's stinger. Roman Torchwick is still alive, but now fundamentally changed, spending his life in hedonistic pleasure, wanting nothing more than to keep himself safe from all the dangers of the world. You think that what happened to your team was tragic?"

He scoffed. "…Doesn't even compare to what I've been through, _old man_."

Red flashed across my vision, and a vicious swing from Harbinger was enough to knock Acht back a few meters. I let out a sigh, my mind telling me that I should stop; that Acht was just leading me on for whatever purpose that he might have in doing so. But there was that other part of me, the part of my soul, that wouldn't stand for my son insulting my _family_. My _loved ones_. "You want a fight?" I managed to get out of gritted teeth, "…Then you can have one."

In a burst of speed, I appeared by his side, swinging Harbinger towards his flank. He parried the heavy blow, sending it to the side, and I stepped on his feet and whirled as I shifted Harbinger to its scythe form, a burst of shotgun pellets speeding up the swing as it made its way towards his face.

Pain blossomed on my leg as I screamed in pain, and I looked downwards to see Acht holding a pistol towards my right thigh, now sporting a blooming splotch of red as blood dripped down towards the rooftop ground. I glance back towards the gun, seeing the simple yet efficient design, and the casing of the bullet as it clattered to the ground. Dots started appearing in and out of my vision, and Harbinger dropped as it gouged a deep trench on the rooftop. Acht sheathed the gun, using his hand to force me to look up towards him, and I could only blink at his eyes, which weren't concealed by the lens of his glasses any longer.

"I doubt this would work on you a second time…" He said, shaking his head as something began ringing through my ears. Was that…Summer? I stared into Acht's eyes once again, with cold fear gripping my heart as he let me go and I collapsed on the rooftop, bleeding out from a thigh wound that had hit a major artery. No…Not like this. I don't want to see those eyes in that way again.

Summer's eyes were so bright, like the silver of the moon. Acht's…my son's…his eyes looked like the glint of a blade, ready to cut down _something_. They glowed in unearthly silver against the light of the moon, just like how Summer's eyes looked whenever nightfall comes in. However, staring at my son now, looking like a blade read to shatter, I couldn't help but fall asleep regretting…

…Did I raise our kid correctly, Summer?

…

His Corvian Father

…

"Qrow, you can't _possibly_ stand up to your son any longer!" Jimmy roared, slamming his fists on the table set in front of me as I stared at him with a blank expression. True to form, the table was broken, the contents of an early-morning breakfast spilling out over the blank white sheets currently draped over my legs, and the blank stare slowly changed into a murderous one.

"…You're paying for that."

"And I will", Jimmy brushed the hook off, and continued on staring at me with an indignant expression on his face. "Qrow, your son tried to _kill_ you. He's tried poisoning the next generation of Hunters _in front of our own eyes_. Ozpin's growing senile, but I know that you're more than capable of connecting the dots. Your son's planning something, and I need to know _what_."

"You won't get anything from me, Jimmy." I said with an exasperated sigh, calling for a nurse to change my sheets. And didn't _that_ sound like I was an invalid? "Lock me up in a cell, call me a conspirator, or execute me in front of the whole city …You won't get anything out of me." I sigh, meeting his gaze dead-on with a determination that I hadn't found before, and something blazed into life. Protectiveness? Acht can hold himself together. No, this is something different. It's just me…trying to fix some old mistakes. "I know all of your tricks. Intimidation. Coercion. Bribery. No matter what you do, you won't get through me. Get your information from my son or from other sources, I don't care."

This time, I affixed Jimmy with a glare. Harbinger was less than an arm's reach away, and I'd be willing to grab it off and defend myself if the need comes. I had a goal now – one that's more personal than wanting to work under Oz to save the world. Those silver eyes that glinted like blades…I'd make them into Summer's. That, I swear.

"…It looks like you won't be changing your mind any time soon", Jimmy said, letting out a sigh as he stood up on his seat and walked away. He stopped at the door however, barely sparing a glance at me before a thin smile formed on his face. "…You wouldn't mind if I have a talk with your son, would you?"

A smirk formed on my face at that. "If you can even find him."

The Scroll on the wall flickered, changing its image into the visage of a black Queen. There, a voice began speaking, in a soft, seductive tone that would've paralyzed any men into place, if it were not for the fact that the sheer maliciousness in their voice. My eyes widen ever-so slightly, my gaze moving towards Harbinger as the speech started. Jimmy looked affronted, before turning his wide-eyed gaze onto me, to which I replied with a shake of my head. Acht wasn't responsible for this. Although, whatever damages that occur would be indirectly his fault, since he didn't do anything to stop it.

"Qrow…" Jimmy began, and I quickly shut him up with a glare as I tossed my sheets off my person, taking my first steps in a while and wincing as I put too much force on my right leg. It seemed that wound was still acting up. Just what the hell did Acht shoot me with…? "Qrow, you're still not in any condition to fight!"

"Shut up, Jimmy", I snapped back, grabbing Harbinger's handle and sheathing it behind my hip, turning to face the general with a limp in my right leg. "You see that?" I pointed towards the cloud of Grimm slowly making its way closer to Vale, and I gulped down a cup of water before slamming it on the table. "That's Grimm, coming to Vale's doorstep. They perfected the damn strategy three years ago, and now they're testing their improvements on Vale itself." Jimmy's eyes widened, and I let out a growl. "…Yeah, the attack on the VAGC was a precursor to this. Planned out my Salem's minions, meant to sow discord and chaos amongst the populace while they move in for the kill and debilitate humanity as a whole."

"Look at Vacuo now", I said, "Nothing more than a shithole of bandits and warlord all fighting for a desert that nobody wants. Before, the VAGC was Vacuo's equivalent of Beacon – allowing various villages and cities to exist there, but now? Nothing left. Nothing but smoldering ruins set in the middle of a hellhole."

I took out Watts' Scroll from my pocket, tossing it over to Jimmy as the half-cyborg caught it with his prosthetic. "That's what I found during my trip there", I smoothly lied, "Arthur Watt's Scroll, found on the ruins of the VAGC ruins. Do with it as you wish – I'm going out, and you can't stop me." Surprise colored Jimmy's face as I made my way outside the door, giving him a wave as the infirmary door closed behind me with a hiss.

My feet didn't have to walk long before I glanced out towards a window, seeing a large number of Grimm flooding into the schoolgrounds. Bullheads went to and fro the Amity colosseum, dropping Grimm left and right, and I growled as I saw the familiar masks of the White Fang opening cages and letting the Grimm run wild. I saw another familiar figure make his way towards the cafeteria, that distinctive black suit allowing me to recognize him instantly. Sprinting after him was the kitty cat and Yang, and I couldn't help but groan as I leaned on the glass, wondering how far this walkway was to the ground.

"Ah well. Guess I'll wing it." A quick kick to the glass shattered it, and I quickly unsheathed Harbinger as I jumped down, the greatsword quickly shifting into its scythe form as I spotted the extended arm of the Arc statue in the courtyard. Wrapping the inside of the blade to the arm, I killed my momentum by whirling around the statue once, my arms straining as I held onto my grip with the additional strain, and I landed on the cobbled courtyard with a soft thud.

"Uncle Qrow!" Yang called out, and I gave her a lazy smirk as I whirled Harbinger once and let the shaft rest on my shoulder. I glanced to her left, seeing the look on kitty cat's face, and I can't help but frown at that. So determined to fight…to die. Normally, I would've left her out, but considering that my niece is coming along with her…

"If you two are going to fight Adam Taurus with just the two of you alone, then I'm afraid you're gonna' need some little help." My eyes weren't laughing right now. I was completely serious, and even the smirk on my face was gone – replaced by a thin line of neutrality. Yang was taken aback, her lackadaisical attitude completely falling away, and I glance towards the kitty cay, only for her to nod at my statement. Good. They both know what they're going to get into. "…Alright, now that I gave the both of you some heads-up, then let's go."

Before I took a single step however, Yang drew me back. "Uncle Qrow, you're going to fight with _that_ injury?" She pointed towards my right thigh, and I simply smirked at her in response, hiding the wince behind it. The bullet wound still hadn't healed, so her concerns were accurate. One single cut, and it's going to open up once again. Still…

"When you're out in the field, you've still gotta' fight even though you could barely stand up." I said, patting Yang's head once as I moved my gaze towards Beacon's cafeteria, finding Adam Taurus staring at us from the windows of the cafeteria, with an arrogant smirk plastered on his face.

So, he wanted a challenge…Then I'll gladly oblige.

…

His Corvian Father

…

"I had expected more from you, Qrow Branwen." The taunt from Adam Taurus came as I parried another quick blow from the bull Faunus. Another step backwards, another wince caused by the lance of pain that ran up my leg, and the momentary freeze was enough for him to get a blow in as a slash rent across my chest. I grunted, the force slamming into me with a force of a truck as the wall of the cafeteria slammed behind my back a second later.

Alright, that hurt. Guess my Aura's in the red after taking a heavy blow like that.

"Uncle Qrow!" Yang screamed, turning an aside glance towards me before her Semblance unconsciously kicked in and she rushed towards Adam Taurus, who had glanced towards her with a smirk and a hand on his sheathed sword. My eyes widened, forcing myself out of the small crater that I was stuck in as I reared back and threw Harbinger, the metallic scythe flying through the air and catching the release of the Faunus' Semblance. Red energy met my prized weapon, and the force slammed it back towards Yang, a pained yelp coming from her as she was knocked down to the ground, with Harbinger's blade a single inch before her neck.

Kitty cat charged in, distracting Taurus long enough as I got myself out of the wall and grabbed Harbinger, focusing on concentrating my Semblance on the White Fang's leader. A quick whirl and a look at the handguard told me that Harbinger's shifting capabilities were fine, and I let out a relieved sigh at that. Nevertheless, lesson learned; don't let the bastard sheathe his blade.

I ducked, narrowly dodging kitty cat's body at the last second, and Taurus aimed his gun-sheathe towards me as I smirked, surging forward as I let Magic take hold of my form. The White Fang leader fired, and the barrel promptly blew up due to a misfire, and Taurus hissed as he dropped his gun-sheathe, gingerly holding his left hand while he moved towards Yang, who was still suffering from a slight concussion. Well…that won't do.

Shifting back into human form behind Taurus, I swung Harbinger down in a heavy blow, forcing the bull Faunus to block as he gritted his teeth, shifting his balance and falling down onto one knee. I caught him on the chin with a quick whirl of Harbinger, the butt of my scythe's staff smacking against bare skin, and he scowled in pain before rolling backwards and lashing out with his katana. I moved to take a step back, but my leg once again lanced in pain, and the tip of the blade sliced through the bandages on my right thigh and ripped right through the skin.

A grunt of pain escaped my lips, and I staggered back a few steps, with blood already beginning to seep through my bandages and pants. I buried a part of Harbinger's shaft into the ground, using it as a cane to help myself up in a standing position, and watched as Taurus stood up as well, now sporting a small smirk on his face. "It seems that I was right", he said, flicking his katana to the side as my blood splattered onto the ruined cafeteria. "At first, maybe I thought that it might be a ploy in order to make me commit to a mistake, but it seems that those bandages aren't for show."

He stood up, his Aura sparking and fizzling out, but I knew better. He won, if not by choice. I knew that Yang and that kitty cat weren't going to be of much help in this, since Taurus is far above their current skill level, but who could've expected Acht's injury to debilitate me _this_ much? My Semblance was acting particularly fickle nowadays, and it wasn't causing as much misfortune as I had hoped. Damn it…

Kitty cat's attempt was good, but almost perfectly see-through, and Taurus didn't even have to lift a finger as he backhanded her across the hall, approaching Yang with his katana glinting in the moonlight. I tried to move towards him, using Harbinger as a crutch and trying to focus my Semblance on him, but he barely seemed to trip over before he got moving once again. Each step sent a lance of pain through my head, and each drop of blood that I spilled on the ground during my short walk made dots dance around my vision.

Static played in my ears as I continued on trudging forward, to make sure that damn bastard won't kill my niece, but my body wouldn't move. Too much blood had been lost since the last few days that I was losing consciousness even faster. At this rate, Adam Taurus would get to Yang…then to Ruby…

Regret dances across my mind, and I reach out with my arm to try and reach out to Yang. Once again, I can't protect them. Can't protect the ones that I love… "Seems that I arrived just in time."

Once again, I look up, seeing Acht's eyes boring down onto me with his unearthly silver eyes. This time however, they weren't the glint of blades that I saw on the rooftop, but instead, Acht's eyes shone like the light of the moon. Like Summer's. Like his mother's. A smile formed on my face, entrusting him to save Yang, to save Ruby…to save the ones that I couldn't.

Warmth blossomed within me, overshadowing the cold grip of death was nearly about to claim its grasp on my soul. Blood red eyes snapped open, seeing Acht's eyes crinkled with warmth, and a thin smile formed on his face as he wiped off something from his eyes, whirling around and standing back to his full height as figures manifested from behind his back.

They were swords, ones made without even a handguard, and he brandished them like a third limb as they flowed behind him like a cloak. Heh. A cloak of swords. I guess Ruby would gush over that if she was here. "Stay here with Yang for a moment, dad", he said, and the way that he mentioned me stoked the fire of life even higher. "I've…got a bull to wrangle."

"Heh", I finally managed to croak out, glancing towards my leg and my Aura shimmering a light gray against the injury. A pool of dried blood had formed around my body. It was fine – I was still in the land of the living. Was still here to see my son grow up and finally let go of the grudges that he might've had. Was still here to know that Summer would've been proud of me…of our son.

"Give him hell, Hheron."

"…Actually, it's Hachiman." He curtly replied, before brandishing his cloak of blades once more and charging into the fray, his expression once again reminding me of Summer's. Really, it was as if the kid had taken the best parts out of both of us.

I'm still not sure as to whether or not it was a good thing.

…

His Corvian Father

…

Acht– no, Hheron– no, _Hachiman,_ moved like a gale, sending out attacks at a faster rate than what I had seen from the first time that we met. I recognized that his sword cloak seemed to sharpen each minute, as if gaining more presence in reality. Of course, given that a sword cloak out of Aura was pretty unnatural in the first place, I wasn't an expert on that.

Taurus was already pretty much on the defensive, his katana blurring as he deflected strikes to and fro, trying to keep himself alive as superficial wounds began piling up all over his body. Meanwhile, Hachiman seemed to be only getting stronger, as evidenced by the fact that he could summon even more Aura swords to chuck at Taurus. Soon, a few seconds later he was completely rooted in place, his focus completely on the blades as they tried to set an elaborate trap for Taurus from which he could never escape from.

Blades were flying in from all angles, not even afraid to hit below or at the back. Some were even summoned from underneath the ground, tearing up the cafeteria floor in order to unbalance Taurus, while at the same time trying to get a jump on his feet. Flashes of red energy shone across the cafeteria as the rubble was reduced to fine dust, and even though Taurus' Semblance may be enough to cut down the Aura swords, he couldn't keep up against the storm of blades that he was currently facing against.

The White Fang leader tried moving towards his blind spots, but was met with a cloak of blades for the trouble. They seemed to be semi-sentient, swinging themselves around in graceful arcs as they warded off Taurus, and the rest of the blades seemingly converged on his position a second later. Gray Aura glinted in the light, the swords slamming against the walls, ceilings, fixtures, and within five minutes, turned the whole cafeteria into a pincushion.

Yang groaned beside me, her lavender eyes slowly blinking as she took in the scene in front of her. "Professor…Acht?" She asked, her voice still slightly out of it, but I could see that she was already connecting the dots by the time that she glanced towards me. "…Uncle Qrow?"

"We were in a bad spot", I explained, chuckling in self-deprecation as a line of swords gouged out a trench in the middle of the cafeteria. Taurus seemed exhausted; the little papercuts that he had accumulated meaning that he was already sprouting blood all over his body. The grip on his katana was loose, no doubt due to the blood slickening his grip, and the bull Faunus readied himself in a drawing stance as Acht's Aura blades were held at the ready, forming an unstoppable phalanx of gleaming gray swords. Taurus took a step forward, his body beginning to turn at the waist, only for a gray sword to come bursting out of his chest and finally taking him down for the count.

Hachiman heaved a breath, watching the White Fang leader gurgle out his last words on a mouth full of blood, yet he didn't show any mercy. His silver eyes shone like the telltale glint of blades, willing the rest of the phalanx to surge forward and envelope the bull Faunus as I covered Yang's eyes and ears, the tearing of flesh resounding throughout the whole cafeteria.

I closed my own eyes as well, denying the fact that my son could do something so heartless. I waited until the sounds were gone, and slowly opened my eyes, seeing Hachiman standing over a bloody smear on the cafeteria with a disgusted expression on his face. I let go of Yang's eyes and ears, and she immediately locked onto the smear with wide eyes, and her expression grew pale as she turned to the side, with gagging sounds coming out of her mouth.

"Killing…never gets comfortable." Hachiman began, and he turned towards me with a thin smile on his features. It looked like he was serene, but in his eyes were a cacophony of expressions. Emotions that I once saw in a mirror after my first kill. The rationalization, the weighing of the benefits against the costs, and the overall realization that it was necessary, but not an act to take pleasure in. "Don't you agree…dad?"

"Eh?"

"It never does, son", I replied, chuckling as Yang stared at me with wide eyes. Given that Hachiman was the one who let the bag spill, it meant that he was ready to share whatever he's got on his mind with me, Yang, Ruby…Taiyang. The rest of our family. A smirk formed on my face, and I proffered up an arm towards him, "How about you help out your old man?"

"Sure", he replied, stepping towards me as Yang slowly inched away, finding purchase in kitty cat's body which was starting to grow awake. Wide amber eyes stared at the splotch of fresh blood on the middle of the cafeteria, and her eyes immediately turned towards Hachiman, paling at his visage as he grasped my arm and pulled me up. She looked like she was ready to bolt at the sight of him. To be honest, if I was at their age too, I would've done the same thing.

But this was Hachiman. My _son_. The greatest treasure in the world that I thought to have lost…and seemed to gain back once again, for one more chance at redemption. I patted his back, holding him close as a warm liquid began forming in the corner of my eyes. Damn Hachiman and those dust clouds that he made earlier…making my eyes irritated. "…Thanks, Hachiman." I said, and somehow I found those words oddly fitting. "Thank you. For saving Yang…for saving me…If it weren't for you then her…I would've…"

"If I just stopped the flow of my Aura to your wound, then you could've taken him without much problem." Hachiman said, his voice lifeless as his grip on me grew tighter. There it was…after six years of thinking that he was lost, I finally found him once again. The socially-awkward kid hiding behind an aloof mask, always blaming himself for every little thing that happens to all of us. "It's my fault. If I could've just told you that I didn't want to go to Vacuo, then maybe this whole thing…"

"Shut up", I snapped, the stern tone in my voice snapping my son out of his self-induced thoughts. "If you hadn't gone to Vacuo, then you wouldn't have figured out what Salem's plans were for Vale. You wouldn't have made plans to minimize the damages…to strike back at her when she thought she was victorious. You won, Hachiman. You _won_ , alright?"

Warm streaks of tears began falling on my shoulders, yet I ignored it as I lightly pushed my son away from me, staring at him like what a father does during an important event. My eyes moved towards the top of Beacon's tower, its peak completely shredded away by the Grimm Wyvern. I could still see sparks of metal coming from the top, and a cold feeling settled into my gut as I did my best to harden my own gaze. "There's still one last thing to do, son." I said, not feeling any sort of awkwardness by referring to Hachiman as so. My son met my gaze, wiping off the tears in his arms with a resolute look in his eyes, and he nodded once before he shot off towards the Beacon tower.

"…Damn, does he make me proud."

"Uncle Qrow?" Yang's voice broke me out of my thoughts, and I snapped back towards her, watching as she stared at me with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. "You called Professor Acht your 'son'…is he…is he our cousin…?"

I sighed, leaning on Harbinger's shaft as I took a seat back and leaned against the wall, right beside Yang and her partner. Should I tell her the whole truth or not? There were still a lot of things that I didn't know…Things that I wasn't sure about Hachiman, or Acht, or Hheron or whatever. What I do know was that he was my son. And I plan on being that way.

"Well", I began, "It all started during our last year in Beacon…"

…

His Corvian Father

…

It's been a week since the Invasion of Vale. Not 'Fall', as Salem's minions had intended, but a simple invasion. The fact remained that we were still able to fight back – to make sure that hope still exists in a world where light only exists in small specks. Look at me, trying to be all philosophical. It wasn't me, nor it would be me – I'd only spout such nonsense if I ever choose to retire from Hunting.

The door to the back side of the cabin opened, and Hachiman stepped out, a blank expression on his face. Mine was blank as well, for most likely the same reasons as his, and I gripped my flask a little bit tighter, sipping the bitter liquor within as I felt the liquid fire bolster a sense of courage within me.

He sat next to me on the bench, leaving practically no space for both of us. Silence filled the chilly night air for a few moments as we kept on staring at the skies and the shattered moon, and I began by asking him questions in order for me to receive some confirmation. "So…my Hheron is really gone, huh?"

"Yes, he is", Hachiman replied back in his curt tone of his. I sighed, with melancholy crossing my features once more as I slammed an arm on the bench. Once again, I was too slow to save the ones that I loved.

"Then who are you?"

"Hheron Branwen died when he was seventeen, succumbing to the wounds that the Grimm gave him a few hours before you came", Hachiman recounted in an emotionless tone, yet I could see a glimmer of expression in his eyes. "With his dying breath, he unlocked his Aura and Semblance simultaneously – spirit channeling, if you will. Guy always wanted someone to talk to, since he felt like he was all alone in that hellhole of an orphanage."

"Back then, the spirit known as Hikigaya Hachiman had possessed his body and lived on according to the body's will. I couldn't even differentiate between the two", Hachiman let out a laugh, and he reached inside his pocket for a flask, before taking a sip from the metallic container. "…It was only until the fall of the Vacuan Academy for Gifted Children did I fully emerge as a separate consciousness, egged on by Hheron's previous memories. Those two senile fools would've known about it – it was my Semblance that showed up on the CCT, after all."

"Wait…that was _you_?" I asked, turning towards Hachiman with a raised brow as he nodded, grasping the flask in his hand a little tighter. Come to think of it, I saw a gray light envelop everything in the final stages of the VAGC's fall, but I didn't expect it to be a result of a Semblance…

It seemed that Hachiman knew what I was going to ask, since he thumbed the edge of his flask and took another sip. "My Semblance…well, I guess you could call it 'Adversity'." He explained, holding out his hand as a gray crystal shimmered into existence with his Aura. "The more Grimm there are in a 5-kilometer radius around me, the more Aura I have." My eyes widen at such an unnatural, exceptionally _powerful_ Semblance, but Hachiman simply gave me a smirk, and the lifeless look in his eyes worsened.

"…As expected from someone who was everyone's scapegoat. It seems that Semblance truly mirror the individual's flaws." He let out a sigh, his gaze moving towards the shattered moon, and his voice dropped an octave lower. "…However, it would seem that Semblances only exacerbate the flaw, and not help in healing it." He turned towards me with a smile. "Don't you think so too, Qrow?"

My Semblance. Bad luck. Permanently active due to my belief in the fact that I had screwed up one of the Branwen tribe's earlier raids, and that negative feeling of being unlucky festered and eventually established itself as my Semblance. Maybe Hachiman was right – that Semblances simply avoid the problem, instead of actually fixing it. Ruby still runs away from her past. Yang still tries to protect others by putting herself in harm's way. Summer was anxious about what other people thought of her, which unlocked her telepathy. Tai didn't want to face reality, and so had a Semblance that denied. Hachiman…Hachiman could only become a scapegoat to help other people, thus leading to his Semblance.

"…Jeez", I said, letting out a sharp laugh, "It seems like our family's dysfunctional as ever, huh?"

"You could say that, _dad_." He drawled with a smirk on his face, holding out his flask towards me. I blink, staring at him with confusion on my face, only to see him staring back to the sky. "…Still, it's a good start, isn't it? Trying to fix everything back together again."

I chuckled, banging my flask against his before we drunk in sync.

"Yeah. I guess it's a good start."

* * *

 **EDIT: Go on and vote as to whose perspective should I write next. Poll's up and updated.**


	4. From the Ashes

[ _From the Ashes_ ]

Consciousness. It's quite a confusing concept, since one could not possibly imagine the state of its opposite. Some say that one can best define consciousness by looking at what happens when one is devoid of it, but it is hypocritical to imagine a state of nothingness. The concept of unconsciousness, and its polar opposite consciousness, is a blank slate that could not be proven by following logical actions or experimentation. It is only a state of _being,_ a word that definitions would only tarnish the overall weight of the concept. One could only _be_ conscious, and that would be the extent of all observations. No asking on how did one arrive at such a conclusion. Nor the why and when.

But everything changes when you could see through a perspective that one wouldn't normally experience. Such as being in the shoes of a long-dead person, for example.

"Off with the blindfold." A rich, cultured voice said, one belonging to that of an Atlesian elite. I never had the experience of meeting one in real life save for Winter Schnee, but if all of them were like her, then I best stay away from them. It's not everyday that you see someone have the innate talent of pissing off everyone around them. "Let's see what we have here...Ah, the ringleader. Nice to meet you Hheron. Glad you could join us in my lab again."

My body trashed against its restraints, spouting curse after curse towards his captor. It wasn't hard to see why - Arthur Watts was on the other end, smug face simply _oozing_ with Atlesian superiority. I had wiped that smirk off his face when I impaled him on a piece of rusty rebar, but safe to say that he still gets to live on in Hheron's memories. And continually grate on my nerves.

Hheron's string of curses was cut short by a backhand, and burning red orbs glared with barely concealed rage. Arthur Watts took a step back, cradling his aching hand like a coward, but he was too awash with amusement to even think of shutting Hheron's mouth. "Ungrateful lab rat", he spat, "We gave you a home, a family, and a way of life, and you pay us back by trying to escape?"

A second passed as Watts gathered his breath, before turning towards his guards with an icy glare. "Leave us."

"Sir-"

"Leave. Us."

The guards saluted, immediately leaving the room and living Watts to sneer in distaste the moment the door shut. "Can't even have competent guards around here lately", he monologue, before turning back towards Hheron. "So, where were we? Right, you being an incompetent twat. Hatching an escape plan even with traitors in your midst. Even an idiot would do better than you." He turned up his nose, the same way that all snotty Atlesian did. "Did you ever think that you would have traitors in your ranks? That we used them to keep the lot of you in line? It would seem that we would need to increase their punishments. If they ignored you, then you must have more power over them than we thought." Watts placed a hand on Hheron's shoulder, causing him to fly back in a murderous rage, to no avail. "Worry not, Hheron. We shall use you as an example for what would happen if they ever try to fail at their jobs once more."

I grimaced at that. While I knew the deeds that the bastard had done in the past, it would seem like he had to gloat over his power over them as well. As if he were playing deity. It was the main thing about his personality that made me hate him the most, since his damn pride was more or less a facet of his supremely large ego. As if everything in the world moved according to his designs.

"You're dead to me, you hear!? DEAD!"

"Now, now, don't be a hypocrite, Hheron", Watts said with a smug smirk, once again patting him on the shoulder out of sarcastic pity. "Dead mean should tell no tales, am I right? So just sit there and rage at the cameras. It'll be over soon. I promise you that." He turned around and pressed a communicator. "Status about the machine?"

Static. A huff escapes Watt's lips, his mood darkening by the second. "Damn idiots can't even respond properly!" Finally, the Atlesian had lost his patience, howling ay nothing in particular ab s he let his rage out on cold, unfeeling metallic tools. Most of them clattered all about the room, and he turned back towards Hheron with a silent snarl on his face. "...Nevermind. You're not worth the trouble." He pulled out a derringer from his pocket, laying it flush against Hheron's forehead. "This would be the only sign of respect that I would be giving you before your death. Savor it, _cur."_

The roar of the Grimm behind him however, said otherwise.

[ _From the Ashes_ ]

"Couldn't sleep?" Qrow's voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I glanced towards him out of the corner of my eye. I could see the toll that the withdrawal has given him. The sunken eyes, the bags. His complexion looked healthier however. A more healthy skin tone, and not like a pale horse. In his hands were two cups of water, and I swiped one off him and drank it all in one go.

"You can say that." I replied with a scowl, all but slamming down my cup onto the wooden porch. Nevermind that I'd actually wake up my foster uncle - I needed to let off a little steam. Waking up at about eleven in the evening with not even a full three hours of sleep would do that to anyone. But I wasn't going to tell Qrow about it. Nor anyone else, for that matter. Hheron's baggage are my baggage. He deserves the care. "How are the brats taking it?"

"They're confused." An accurate description, judging by the fidgeting stares that they've been giving me over the last few days in the cabin. Judging by Qrow's frown, it would seem that he knew that as well, and that he'd be blaming himself for it. Not that it wasn't patently untrue however. I was something of an open secret between Team STRQ, after all. Or at the very least, Hheron was. "Yang handled it better, but she's blaming herself for it. Ruby has been trying to get a chance to talk to you alone. Share stories and the like."

"She wouldn't like what I've got in store."

"You and me both on that one." Qrow grumbled back, a flash of guilt in his eyes. Yes, he could've done better, and his decision indeed pushed Hheron down a dark path that eventually led to his death. But I reserved a benefit of the doubt. I'm not even sure that Qrow and Summer had been thinking straight - from what I can hear, Summer was too obsessed with helping others out, and Qrow just wanted everyone else to stay together. It was that conflict of interest that led to strained relationships between the rest of them, Taiyang and Qrow even more so when Summer came back and married the former.

What a fucked-up story. "Ever give them the chance? To you know, make up for it?"

"I taught their classes." It was a weak excuse, and we both knew it. I sighed a second later, staring out into the glimmering sea, glinting light off the moon. Too sparkly for my tastes. In Vacuo, the sea looked more like a rumbling storm. "...It's not that I don't want to, Qrow. But I'm just a wandering spirit possessing the body of the cousin and half-brother that they would never have." And didn't _that_ revelation require a little more explanation? Of course, it was all but half-baked theories at the time, but with Hheron's memories in my head, I'm slowly starting to get a larger picture. "Best to regret and move on rather than give them false hopes."

Qrow flinched, and I immediately zeroed in on the reason why. "You think Summer's the same as me. Someone gallivanting around in her body, doing who-knows-what." Each and every word came out of my mouth made Qrow flinch even harder, and the look of guilt on his face triggered something instinctual inside of me. "Look", I said, laying a hand on Qrow's shoulder as if I were an older brother, "I don't even know how I came into being. I blinked, and suddenly found myself in your son's body. It might be that what you're thinking is correct, and that Summer is gallivanting around somewhere with anyone else on the controls. But it's not going to change the fact that whether or not she's possessed by a ghost, she's not the one that you knew back then."

The older man sighed and slumped forward, putting his weight on most of the railing as I scooted over the bench and let him sit down beside me. He softly smiled, a far cry from the expression that he usually had, only for him to blink once in my direction. "Your eyes."

"What about them?"

"They're silver." I raised an eyebrow at Qrow, who promptly rubbed his eyes to make sure that what he was seeing was correct. "...Actually, never mind", he said, waving me off without a second thought, "Must be a lack of sleep."

I didn't believe in him one bit. A part of my mind chalked it up to another matter that needed to be investigated, but I knew that it would come back to haunt me sooner or later. Maybe then. But what I needed now is some very-much-needed RnR. It's only a matter of days before I need to set out. Qrow and Taiyang all but told me that to my face just this afternoon.

"Back to bed you go, then." I said, shooing him away with a gesture as he scowled and rapped me on the head. My Aura immediately went down to about thirty-five percent, and I couldn't help but grimace at the lingering pain. Even if I knew that it was going to be fine in just a minute or two. Even if I was sure that I didn't say something that I would regret. "Go. Shoo. Leave me alone to stare at a beautiful sea. I promise you I'm not going to throw myself into it."

Qrow narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but eventually returned back to giving me a glare as a yawn slipped past his lips. He sighed, slowly getting off the bench as the evening air rushed in to cover his wake. Within seconds he was back in the cabin, lazily sprawled out on the couch without a care in the world. Lucky for him, he was already sleeping.

Lucky for me as well, since I didn't want to sleep for longer than necessary.

[ _From the Ashes_ ]

I stared out onto Patch's docks, watching the slow roil of the ocean and waiting for the first ship out of this godforsaken island. Somehow, in someway, I found myself collapsing out of exhaustion. Luckily, it came with the benefit of dreamless sleep, but it meant that my schedule was delayed to tomorrow. Sadly, I could still see it whenever I closed my eyes. Each time I blink, I find myself transported to a washed beach, the sea water never looking so fresh and verdant. I find myself in front of roils of sand, stretching out beyond the horizon as far as the eye can see.

...Every time I blink, I find myself back at that damnable Vacuan beach. "Hey Professor."

I take a glance at the figure that sat beside me, silver eyes glinting in the morning light. Heron's half-sister by a few years sat with knees on the water, kicking ever so often when the waves weren't suited to her tastes. We kept silent, letting the early morning mist speak out to both of us, but it ended when the first light of dawn began breaking through the misty waters.

"You're leaving... Uncle Qrow said that yesterday, but I thought he was just joking." An awkward laugh escapes from her lips, only to fall back into silence when I didn't reply. More silence passed between the both of us, her waiting for an answer that I would never give, and she finally lost her patience. "Why didn't you say anything? At Beacon... even here. I-I just want to know. I _need_ to know."

"Want and need are two different things, Ms. Rose." I replied, snorting at the mere thought of it. "You think that you require an answer, when you could simply reach it by thinking about it logically." She frowned. "I don't teach. I guide." I repeated, the same words flowing through my lips for the first time ever since my first class. "So go on. Think. I'll tell you if you're correct."

More silence. I shifted my meager belongings as I scanned the skies for any signs of my ship, but there was still nothing. A few moments later however, Hheron's half-sister replied. "Nepotism?" She asked, and I replied with nothing more than a nod. "That doesn't make any sense", she said immediately after, eyebrows scrunching as the gears behind her head began to turn, "You'd still be a great teacher even if we know that you're our cousin."

"Sometimes I forget that you're a bit too young for this." I replied with a sigh, shaking my head as I stood up with my bag slung over my shoulder. I slowly fingered the trigger guard of my gun, an impression of a ship slowly floating through the misty waters. "Sometimes, the only way for fairness to be justified is when you are completely removed from the situation. Liken it to your heroes - would you be willing to save a few extra people for the sake of the brother that you never had?"

Once again, she was silent. I chuckled, ruffling her hair in the same way I would ruffle my sister's own, and I watched as the ship pierced through the mist. Winter Schnee's ship moved with a quickness that I hadn't expected, docking down in a few seconds before she came out of the ramp with her weapon raised and aimed towards me. I sighed, quickly yanking Hheron's half sister back, and immediately placed my gun flush against her temple. Ruby Rose could barely stifle a scream before I spoke.

"Let me go, or she dies."

Both of them froze. Winter Schnee looked like she was unable to make a decision for once in her life, and Ruby Rose's eyes flashed with a mixture of betrayal, indignation, and fear. As the seconds tick by, I can see the Schnee's gaze harden. She called my bluff, and so I cocked the hammer back when she tried to take a step forward. "You know what this did to Qrow." I said, my voice still even, all while fighting back the distaste at the bottom of my soul. "I fire, and I might as well be holding a bloody piñata in my hands."

"You damn monster...!"

"Funny, coming from the one who arranged all of this." I tilted my head back towards the island. "The leave. Qrow's guilt. The rest of my family's confusion. You were aiming to stall me long enough for you to stage an ambush, lock me in a cell, and bring out the thumbscrews to let out my secrets." I hissed, taking a deep breath to school my features once more. "How's the thumb drive that Qrow gave you?"

"What's your angle, Branwen?" Winter Schnee hissed, the mist roiling around her, and I couldn't help the smirk that came upon my face once I saw the barest hints of a mirror shard.

"Same as you", I coolly replied, savoring the panic on her face as I grinned and pushed Ruby Rose towards her. "...An escape."

She saw the blade coming too late. Blood began to spread on her right shoulder as Neo quickly ducked underneath her, using Ruby Rose as a springboard as she hurtled towards the air towards me. The determination in her eyes told me enough of what she was about to do, and I gave her the barest of nods just as she grabbed my arm.

The sound of shattering mirrors assailed my ears, all but sounding like chalk against a blackboard, but I bared through the sound as we hurtled through the air, our clothing fluttering behind us as I spied a Bullhead roaring at the edge of our vision. A mad grin formed on my face, pulling Neo close as we dove towards the Bullhead, and I reinforced my entire gun arm with the rest of my Aura before I fired.

Our momentum came to a complete halt for an instant, and I managed to grab onto the Bullhead's ramp just before it passed by. Instants turned to agonising seconds as adrenaline pumped through a thudding heart, and I managed to roll onto the small platform even as the Dust engines continued on their toll. Something snagged my ankle, and I found myself reeling back towards the Bullhead's cargo bay, the telltale smell of tobacco already telling me who it was.

"Hey, kiddo." Roman said, a smug grin on his face as he removed the top part of his cane from my ankle and closed the Bullhead's ramp. I promptly released Neo from my grip, but she barely got to the seats by the fuselage before she collapsed in a heaving mess. I turned towards Roman with a raised brow, but he simply shrugged before pulling me up. "That little stunt of yours probably depleted most of Neo's Aura. Don't do a thing like that again, alright? I'll be the first to bash your head in."

"Not if I do it first." I groaned, already feeling a few bruises forming all over my body. That, and a couple of skid burns too. The adrenaline was going to wear off in a few more minutes, then I'd be in hell until we got to Mistral. "I'm going to need a bed roll first. Then, you can tell me all about your adventures in Mistral."

The master thief grinned. "I believe that could be arranged. You should've seen the look on Neo's face when we met up with little Miss Malachite..."

[ _From the Ashes_ ]

It's been a month since my stay in Mistral. While it was amusing to see the rise of Roman's criminal empire for the nth time, I usually spent the rest of my time here as a tag-along on his men's raids as some form of 'extra back-up' - Roman's words, not mine. While I mostly helped out in securing trafficking rings with his newly-found men, the process of taking over the entire criminal structure of Mistral was quite a long way ahead. Sure at the moment we might have the same clout as one of the old families, but we might just get stabbed in the back soon.

Which meant allies. Which meant more opportunities for us to be shanked in the back. It was a risky proposition, but Roman gave it a shot anyway. Just because I was THOR's sole strategist didn't mean that I had to be responsible for everything, but the chain-smoking idiot just waved me off with a smile.

Ergo, while Roman became the face of our current venture and Neo was currently vetting through every applicant in the book, I stuck to logistics and planning. Where to hit, who to hit, and making sure that the men had enough supplies plus a bit extra for each hit. Which meant networking with others to keep the stable supply of resources going.

Let it be known that I am not the go-to individual for negotiations. "You're here again, boy?" I sigh, sliding alongside the bar as I gave Miss Malachite a forlorn nod. She barked in laughter, slapping me on the back quite a few times before going off to make my usual order. "Well, I can see that you've been working hard these past few weeks. Get Roman to do your job for you soon, alright?"

A shot glass slid over towards me, and my eyes met Miss Malachite's lecherous gaze. I shivered in my spot, wondering as to how Roman managed to tame _that,_ and eventually decided that I wouldn't like the answer one bit. "I'm sure he'll take up your offer as soon as he's done with whatever he's doing", I promised her, all the while dooming Roman to his doom, and I swore I could hear someone snickering up in the rafters. Neo, perhaps? She talks sometimes, that I was sure.

Miss Malachite hums, cleaning up the rest of the bar before coming up to a stop right in front of me. "So sonny", she asks with a grin and crossed arms, "I take it that you're going to be needing more Dust? Your bunch seem to go through a lot of those these days." I grimaced at that. Not that she was wrong, but my blade sucked up so much of the damn stuff that I only have a few spare blades left in stock. While Dust was good as an alternative to explosives and a great primer for bullets, most of the damn stuff actually goes to my weapon.

There was a reason as to why Dust blades went out if style, and it wasn't because of the lacking utility that they offered. "Yup", I replied with a short nod. There wasn't even any point in lying about it. Most likely, pretending that we have things under control would strain relations between the two gangs. "We're planning on raiding the ROGS today." Miss Malachite raised a brow, and a sharp glint came to my eyes as I downed the shot that she gave me.

Might as well take the bullet, for what it's worth. "...Frankly, we're planning on scuttling the entire trafficking ring. Atlas knows that it needs the demand."

A few seconds pass in the all but abandoned bar, the rest of its patrons quickly going away the moment they saw my face. While the first time had been particularly... grating, on my nerves, they soon learned that they didn't mess with whoever had the balls to deal with Miss Malachite herself. Of course, a few of them didn't have enough brain cells to understand a warning from one of the most powerful gangs in Mistral, and tried to mug me clean the moment I got out and managed to hammer a deal.

There was a reason as to why handheld railguns were all but banned outside of Atlas control. "Well, you've got guts, kid. An honest streak a mile wide too." I frowned at Miss Malachite's statements, staring down into my empty shot glass as she moved to refill it once more, a nostalgic expression on her face. "It'd take me about three days of pestering to be able to get the same thing out of Roman, you know?"

"Point is?"

"You're callous, sonny." Miss Malachite ruffled my hair, and I could only grumble about it as I downed another shot. Still non-alcoholic, which was nice. "To be honest, I never really did get as to why we need subtleties in these kinds of things, but if I were any less unscrupulous I would've milked you for what it's worth. Roman's word or not."

I reared back with a frown on my face, hand ready to draw my gun, but Miss Malachite waved me off with a huff. "What I'm saying is that don't expect your bluntness to work in every situation. As for your request however..." Her eyes narrowed, and I felt like she was trying to bore a hole through me. I would've done the same if she actually attacked, although the metaphorical bore would be much more literal. "...Someone had the brilliant idea of copying that little Roman's work and has been stealing Dust right before it gets distributed to everyone in the business. Hard not to know who they were, considering they just up and told us that they were raiding all our incoming Dust supplies lest we acquiesce to their demands."

My eyes narrow. "I've got a bad feeling about this..."

"Then your intuition's as sharp as ever, sonny." Miss Malachite smirked, sliding over a letter towards me, with a _very_ familiar crest. "How about you meet with your dear ol' family members and persuade them to stop, eh?"

Damn it. I _really_ didn't want to involve myself with them.

[ _From the Ashes_ ]

Roman stared at me as if I were insane. Which I obviously am, considering that I looked serious enough to charge straight into a horde of Beowolves, which counts as suicide by proxy for those that know me. Seriously, Ursae are dead meat when compared to my usual tactics, which ultimately equate to 'stand as far away as possible from the Grimm and shoot them with an Atlesian battle rifle'. I assume Neo was of the same mind, since she was constantly checking me out for any sort of brain damage. It was cute and endearing, but also incredibly annoying.

"I can handle this."

"This situation is so out of our control that we can't just 'handle this', Hheron." Roman mocked, even making air quotes as he took a large drag out of his cigar and blew the crowd straight at me. It annoyed me, and we both knew it. "Raven Branwen is one of the most successful people in these parts of Mistral _because_ she can strong-arm people into going along with her whims. And now she's gunning for you. That means that she _knows_ who we are, and what we're trying to do. And she doesn't like it. We're still at the phase where we can't afford to outwardly antagonise those stronger than us. You know it'd be absolute chaos in the streets if the Branwen tribe invade, and the Grimm would follow. It'd be like Vacuo all over again."

A scowl escapes my lips at that, accompanied by a flashes of imagery that I wanted to get off my head. Black figures huddled in the sandstorms, accompanied by human screams as cracks of rifles pierced through the air, the fallen rubble and the rising ground that made it difficult to get solid ground...A momentary respite of clear skies that showed the mangled corpses of those who tried to escape. "Sit down for a second, kid, and let's think this out before you rush in like an idiot." Roman's voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I blinked to find myself in a posh room filled with comfortable couches, shattering mirrors echoing in our wake.

Neo...? "You're thinking again, Hheron." A calm voice snaps me out of it, and hands settle upon my shoulders as Roman's face comes into view. "Now, while I appreciate that specific skill of yours when it comes to our jobs, it's not that charming when I find you burning yourself out every night." I wince. Just how did-? Neo. Of course, it was Neo. Roman never really needed to curb her spying tendencies-

 _-Slap._

I blink. With a gaping mouth, I stare at Roman's hard eyes, a harsh breath escaping his lips as he takes a seat beside me. "Look kid, I'm not sure that I should be the one doing this. Ornus knows I fucked up with Neo somewhere, but I'm sure Tyre would chew me out for letting you go on like an idiot." He takes a drag out of his cigar, and turns away from me before puffing out the smoke. "So let's state the facts, Hheron. You have a lot of baggage with you. You haven't let it out. You've been running around who-knows-where for the last decade or so doing who-knows-what, all for some ill-gotten revenge plot. Now that you've gotten your revenge however, what are you going to do now?"

Silence filled through the air as I focused on the empty space in front of me, my hands balling into fists as I tried to come up with a solution. I knew that I'd be pursued the moment I did my job in Vale. I knew that I would be responsible for a lot of the deaths that happened. I knew that I needed to escape somewhere, hide, and get another new identity. After that, after that...

 _'As much as you wish for it Hikigaya Hachiman, there is no power in this world that would allow you to return back home.'_

"I..." The all-knowing voice of a genie flashes through my head, and an indescribable feeling of hollowness surges through me. My arms quiver, and my neck freezes up as my eyes grow even wider. I thought to be an inconvenience at the time, considering everything that happened in Vacuo, but... After that... After Tyre's revenge, after Ornus' revenge... There's nothing for me is there?

Not even a hero's welcome. Not even a safe and loving family. I threw it all away just to be a fugitive, and for what? To make another criminal empire? To help my brother by choice accomplish his life goal of drowning out all memories of the slums that he used to come from? What happens to me after that? When even _that_ was done? I can't get back. The genie all but said so.

"Fuck..." This was pathetic, and I knew it. Hikigaya Hachiman does not cry. Hheron Branwen is a sterling young man who always bore the pain of others, and she'd tears for them. But never for himself. Always for others. But Hikigaya Hachiman does not cry. Who am I really? I was naught but a spirit who wanted to _do_ the impossible. Hheron wanted _the_ impossible. "I... A family was all that I had left... and, and I fucked it up. I can't go back. I-I can't." My eyes shifted to Roman, eyes wide and crazed, not even bothering to hide the tears that flowed across my face. "What do I do?"

"Where do I belong, Roman?"

The thief's eyes shifted downward, clutching his cane even tighter. I could hear the metal creak, but it seemed like he was lost in his own mind, words occasionally escaping through his lips. "I thought you know", he eventually said, "I thought as to what would happen after Vacuo. Here I was, reduced to nothing again. Nothing but a street rat pretending to be a big shot once more."

"It's hard, to think about it. To think about what actually happened, to see the deaths of those that died around you, while you lived. To choose your own life above another's, to see each and every single person you abandoned just lurking out of the corner of your sunconscious, damning you with your glares." Roman sighed, shifting in the seat next to me as his cane clanked against the floor. "... Sometimes, you wonder why you even bother."

A smile played on his lips, green eyes turning towards a particular dust bunny on the ceiling. "I found my reason not even a month after the entire thing. A mean-spirited midget with a penchant for the things that her father never allowed her to have. Might be a little more than sadistic, but she became an annoyance. Then, a partner. Finally, my responsibility. Little minx always grows on you like that."

I hacked at the cloud of smoke that flew through my face a second later, throwing a stray haymaker at Roman and missing as the damn bastard stood up. His hat was back on his head, and he kicked up Melodic Cudgel in his waiting grip, accompanied by a sudden shattering of mirrors as Neo suddenly looked very interested on whatever Roman had on his face right now. "Find your reason, kid. Every cook's got someone to feed, after all. Doesn't have to be a living person, if you're into that. Until then, you're off the job."

Mirrors shattered a second later, and I found myself in an empty room, a musty smell filling the air. I don't think that I can just stand up. My legs were too tired. So, I tried finding a crutch, a lovely little pillow that I can lean upon as I try to get myself back up. But I found myself laying down on the couch, pillow held in an iron grip, as I stared at the stray ceiling fan slowly make its rotations.

So...i was off the job. That meant to wage, no salary, no influence. All I had are my wits, and everything that I could scrounge from my fake bank accounts. Nothing exceeding a thousand lien, I was sure. But there was a silver lining in there somewhere. That a part of me felt relieved that I wasn't part of the entire mess that was Mistral's gang wars. That I was free to do whatever I pleased. That I could find the others, catch up, and hope to the Brothers that they were willing to help fund another orpha- No. No, I can't find myself doing that.

As I found myself withdrawing every single ounce of lien that I had on my scroll, I spotted a small, insignificant thing upon a map of Mistral. It was naught but a tiny little thing, nothing more than a few lines and a grainy picture on a city close to a railroad, but the words beckoned me to focus. To make sure that I wasn't dead or dreaming.

With a heavy sigh, I booked a train to Argus. Damn ticket didn't even cost me 20 lien.

[ _From the Ashes_ ]

Panic, then fear, then dread. Everything that I saw in my nightmares, only multiplied even higher by the fact that I didn't even have the slightest bit of Aura, and the forest was more than spooky and foreboding enough to make sure that any idiot with a brain knew to avoid it. Yet still, I ran through the bushes, tearing off bits and pieces of clothing behind me like a trail of breadcrumbs towards the Grimm. It wasn't Vacuo for sure, which meant that this was another one of Hheron's memories. His escape from that damn orphanage. His death.

My takeover.

I can clearly see myself moving through the same bushes, as if already tethered towards him. Nothing but a wisp, a gray cloud of utter insignificance compared to the large, looming creatures slowly stalking through the trees. For being all but an orphan in name however, Hheron was quick on thinking with his feet. A quick jump here, a swerve there, anything to keep his adrenaline pumping and muscles moving. Cramps were starting to settle in however. The moment he stops, he's going to hurt like hell, and he'll manage to draw an entire regiment of Grimm on his tail.

Finally, a break. Light filtering through the trees, and he quickly deduces that there's a clearing not much further. The sudden spark of hope wards off a Beowolf about to strike, but only for an instant - Hheron's moving again, sprinting through the trees and trying to break line of sight. He skids to a stop the moment he rushes through the bushes however, seeing one of the guards currently being chewed on by an Ursa.

He freezes, suddenly aware of the bloody gurgles that tried to escape the Atlesian soldier's mouth before his neck gets mangled by an Ursa's paw. Hheron freezes, negative emotions swirling around him like a hurricane, and warped concern for the rest of his comrades coupled by crippling fear turns every Grimm's head within a hundred meters. The Ursa turns to face him, blood dribbling from its lips, and the moment its paw moves forward, Hheron suddenly explodes into action.

The Ursa surges forward, bounding on Hheron in an instant, but he had already gotten the rifle of the fallen Atlesian soldier. His mind moving kilometers in a minute, his face contorted into absolute fear and denial, he points the barrel towards the crashing maw of the Ursa and fires.

A loud bang echoes through the air, followed by a flash of light as Dust ignites and pierces through the Ursa's flesh. The recoil smacks Hheron to the ground, all breath living from his lungs, but he continues on firing as round after round meets Ursine flesh and slowly starts to tear it apart. His voice was animalistic, more so that the bear that tried to kill him, and as the sound of an empty magazine echoes through the still air, he heaves a few deep breaths at his target.

By a twist of fate, the Ursa stumbles backwards, barely crushing Hheron under its weight as she's slowly begins to come out of its form. A thud echoes through the clearing, hyperventilating breathing tinged with joy, and I honestly felt a smile forming on my face at the sight. I knew better than to hope however, seeing the flock of Beowolves rushing into the clearing and immediately spotting Hheron by the center.

Its howl shocks Hheron out of his victory, and his screams stain the air a second later as fangs cut deep into his right shoulder. Blood stained the air, the dark red liquid splattering on the grass around him as the coppery taste immediately filled his mouth. Years of training and experience told me that it was a fatal wound, and Hheron would feel the pain for about a quarter of a day before the blood loss eventually took him. Until then however, unimaginable pain. Pain great enough that protocol dictates immediate euthanasia.

Even though the Beowolf dies a second later by a familiar scythe blade, the damage was already done. Hheron was sprawled out on the forest floor as his vision wavered, voice hoarse, croaked, and all but begging for the pain to stop, and the blood red cloak that flashed by his vision didn't help matters at the very least. Even as Qrow brandished his blade and rendered the entire party to dust, there was no point. Hheron was all but dead.

"Fucking... Semblance!" Harbinger carves through the last Beowolf, and Qrow stabs his greats word through the Grimm a few more times as he screams in anger. Tears stained the corner of his eyes, and when the Grimm finally collapses to Ash, he stabs the ground with his sword and lets out a slow breath. Red eyes slowly open, cold yet concealing the regret that formed on his face, even as he shakily grabs his sword from the ground beside him and slowly walks over to Hheron.

He can't talk anymore. Heron's blood was probably choking him out by the second, and he wouldn't even last that longer if it was the case. A light shimmer began to overtake him, his soul's reaction to his demise, yet Aura was not enough to keep him from choking to death. Even as his wounds started closing, even as the internal hemorrhage was being dealt with, he would still die due to the amount of blood that he can't get off his throat.

Qrow stood over him, quickly diagnosing his soon-to-be cause of death. Silver orbs meet red, and a choked sob rises out of the man, the gears in his mind clicking at the last moment as he kneels on the ground beside Hheron. "Sorry... Sorry, kid. I... My..." Qrow closed his eyes, lips quivering as he slowly took a deep breath to behold the mistake that would haunt him for life. "I'll stay with you. Until you die. I... I swear that I'll bury you with full honors."

A weak twitch of a finger was all he got from Hheron. Yet I knew at that moment that the little insignificant wisp that had lingered upon the edge of the tragic scene was pulled from its place, spiralling down right over Hheron's heart, and being spread thinly all over his body. Almost like a second skin.

The spirit coughs, blood gushing out of its mouth, and in exchange for Hheron's life, Hikigaya Hachiman is pulled back into the living.

[ _From the Ashes_ ]

My vision returns, throbbing headache mangling all sense of direction as I slowly awoke from my slumber. Everything felt cold, even with the layers of clothing that I bought on the way to... wherever this is, and the early morning light shines through a bunch of leaves as a breeze slowly rustles my hair to slowly bring me awake. If this was the world's way of saying sorry, then I would've demanded them to bring me back to my old life. To Komachi. To the Service Club. To my friends.

To Earth.

I blink, trying to move my arms in any direction, only for a tin to roll off a bench and bounce onto the stone tiles. The grating sound wakes me up even further, and I narrow my eyes at one of the most popular cans of beer on Remnant, neatly stacked into a pyramid with the cherry on top quite a few ways from the bench. I figured that it was probably my idea. Which made me try and remember what happened the previous night, but a weird... fuzzy, buzz kept on playing around my head.

My hands twitch, aiming to check my pockets just in case someone tried to mug me, but a soft voice instantly shatters my thoughts. I freeze in place, thoughts flying in all directions as I wonder as to whether or not my mind was failing me and I actually died of hypothermia, but I knew that I was dead the moment fingers wrapped around one of my arms and tugged it closer to... whoever it was.

When somebody comes across the scene later, they would immediately say that I didn't scream. That they would swear on their lives and honor on their families that Hikigaya Hachiman, spirit possessing Hheron Branwen's body, _did_ not scream like a girl at that very moment. That he was simply pleasa- _damnit Hachiman_ \- surprised of the cuddle bug beside him, a full head of brilliant red hair and verdant green eyes the color of grass. That he was sure that whoever it was he had awoken with on that bench, he had not laid a hand on whoever it was, and he would sue anyone who said so. That whoever it was on the bench beside him while he was sleeping had signed a contract that they take full responsibility for whatever actions that he or they did and did not do, and that any deviation from the truth would immediately count as a case of libel against a civilian court.

Above all else, she didn't crack up at seeing my panicked, confused, embarrassed, and pleased expression all at once. I-I mean, did you seriously think that I have what it takes to sleep with someone that beautiful, huh!?

"S-Sorry if I scared you there... Hrk!"

Damn you woman! I heard you laugh! "And I'm also sorry for any kind of misunderstanding that I might have caused with you. I know that my husband and daughter would make a bid deal out of this. They sure would..." Oh dear Brothers it was worse. The situation had just went from bad to worse. I have a sinking feeling that it was just going to be a road straight off a cliff. "Would it bother you to come with me and explain the situation?"

"Yes. Yes it would bother me so very much. Please leave me alone. I'm going to go find the nearest cliff and throw myself off it." Stop trying to make me stay, woman. I beg you to please let this matter go. For both me, and your continued reputation. There are already people whispering around the damn place, pointing fingers at us and everything. I'll have to disappear. This was a bad idea. I'm going to go back to Roman with the mighty dogeza and ask him for funds to complete a full plastic surgery.

Instead, the woman simply wiped a tear from her eye and leaned back against the bench, letting out a laugh that sounded eerily familiar... "Ah, my daughter was right. You _are_ fun to tease."

... My mouth narrows into a neutral line. Red hair, similar features. Genetics may be responsible for the lack of hair color, but the father would probably be responsible for half. I needed to get out of here. For completely different reasons than before. I'm sure it was just a bit of paranoia, but there's nothing like coincidence in this world. "And your daughter is who exactly, Ms...?"

"Nikos. Helena Nikos." I hold my breath, mouth suddenly dry, even as I stare at the hand proffered in front of me as if it was a glowing piece of metal. Which it was. It obviously was. I didn't prepare for this. I didn't prepare for _any_ of this. All I wanted is to check out as to whether or not the rumor holds true, but I can't get out of this situation. Not without... "Come on, I won't bite."

Damn it. Damn it all. "...Hheron. Just Hheron." I eventually mutter back, fingers lightly crossing over the woman's own as I tried to yank my arm back immediately. Instead, I found my hand wrapped in comforting warmth, even as the woman in front of me beams with a wide smile, even as she talks about her daughter visiting with her newly-minted boyfriend a couple of hours later.

When I couldn't stop her from continuing on her spiel, I turn around to garner some sympathy for the rest of the residents, but all I find is a sandstone statue. Preserved in lacquer, scratches by weathering all over its surface, but eerily similar to the memories that I wanted to forget. Of Vacuo, of the VAGC, of that damned beach... It all came crashing back down, and force once, I wasn't prepared nor blacked out for it. Everything came in a particularly crashing blow as I stare with held breath at the sight of my partner immortalized in stone, grinning at an unseen figure with an unwilling figure beside her.

This time, made out of compressed ashes. I could recognize the eyes, looking eerily similar to a dead fish. I could make out the shaggy hair that he didn't bother trimming once during his stay in the VAGC. I could see the individual folds in the scarf that surrounded his neck, hiding the scars that he once received from a time long past. I could see his weapons sheathed around his waist and hips, along with the rifle slung over his shoulder. I could only gape at the statue of obsidian and ash, even as I shakily took a step back, away from the woman's grip.

Helena Nikos let go, a wistful smile on her face quickly flowing away from my mind as I stared agape at the statue of her deceased daughter and her partner in their usual positions. Whoever sculpted the danm thing even had the brooding expression down to a tee. "I take it this is your first time seeing the statue."

She said it so softly, as if almost disappointed that I hadn't visited here before. Her mother stood alongside me, wearing a nostalgic smile on her face, even as she steps forward and reads the title of the statue itself, a mere three words unlike the detailed biography that was etched in cursive script.

"It's called 'From the Ashes', by Oliver Birch. I thought it would be fitting, don't you think?"

No... No it definitely wasn't.

[ _From the Ashes_ ]

Breakfast at the Nikos residence is both parts awkward and fulfilling. For the first time in my entire stay in this hellhole called Remnant, I had finally found the perfect brew of coffee that I had been searching for this past decade. No more drinking caffeine water. No more drinking whatever the hell Atlesian Black was supposed to be. This blend of simply pure, bittersweet, Georgia MAXXX Coffee. On the other hand, I am currently dining with Tyre's mother. The mother of my former partner, who I razed an entire Kingdom as 'revenge' for her death.

Somehow, the hole in my gut simply grew bigger. "Here", she said, the matronly voice that she exuded at odds with the guilt that currently simmered beneath the surface. "It's not much, but it'll have to do for the meantime. I still have to shop around for my little daughter's reunion, after all." The meal in front of me was a simple omelet, steam oozing out from the perfect yellow shell, and I would praise it to the high heavens if it were not for the fact that it was being served by the parents of my partner. My deceased partner. My dead partner.

"I..."

"Do you really think that just drinking enough beer to drown an entire bar counts as an early morning breakfast?" Helena Nikos raises an eyebrow at me, a little grin tucked beneath the locks of red hair that always reminded me of Tyre's own. I didn't move from my spot, still hanging over the perfectly warm meal like a serial killer, and the woman in front of me grasped my shaking hands, preventing me from lifting the damn fork to eat the damn thing. If this wasn't sending mixed messages, then I'm at my wit's end.

"Hheron, correct?" The stern voice snaps me out of the familiar-looking meal, and I gape at the instant shift from mother to something else. I could see the frown on the edges of her face, the wrinkles straightening to look more menacing, and the thin-set frown of her lips began to remind me of my own expression. Did I always look like that? Yes. Yes I did. It's just a bit surprising to see my own face mirrored on the parents of the partner that I... this was getting old. "I do not blame you for the loss of my daughter." Her grip tightens around my wrists, cutting off my flinch before it even began. "If you came here a month or two after her body was delivered to us, then I would've..."

Silence echoed through the still air, accompanied by a scroll's music locked away in a far room. Its haunting tones coincided with the increasing pain that I felt on my wrists, up to the point where I was considering on using Aura to make sure that she didn't break anything, but I knew that I deserved whatever she was going to do to me. "But that's not the point." Helena Nikos released my hands, and I quickly stuff them into my pockets and push my middling Aura into them. Considering that it was gone in a flash, it would seem like she underestimated my strength. "My daughter sacrificed herself to save your life, and the life of everyone else who had survived the siege of Vacuo. I would not cheapen her life by hating those that she saved."

"Although I am curious." Green eyes narrow into slits, and I take a deep breath and place a hand on my sword. "... What did Tyre see in you that she would be willing to go so far for your sake?"

More silence. My gaze fell down towards the plate of food, already lukewarm as the wisps of steam that rose out from it seemed to disappear in an instant. I opened my mouth to speak, only for no words to come out, my mouth simply hanging in the awkward atmosphere before I bit down on my tongue. "You really don't know?" Helena Nikos' voice snaps me out of whatever thoughts that I had brewing behind me, but the sheer incredulity in her voice makes me question about myself. What did I do, to deserve the dubious honor of chucking Tyre Nikos into an early grave? I don't know. Given that the person herself is dead, I would never know.

"...Or perhaps, you simply refuse to see yourself as such." The sliding of paper somewhere in front of me made me glance back up towards the table, finding Helena Nikos' previous expression to be gone. A sealed envelope was in her hands, the seal making me hold my breath, and I was pretty sure that my mouth hung open ever-so slightly at the sight of Tyre's seal on the damn thing, still pristine as if it was never touched. "This is one of her last belongings. The... the authorities found it on her body, addressed to the rest of us. One for her father, one for me, one for Pyrrha... and one for you."

I slowly reached out to touch the thing, afraid that it would just go up in smoke and disappear. It didn't, and even Helena Nikos let out a chuckle at the fact that I was so surprised by it. "I'll leave you to read it by yourself", she said as she stood up from her seat, moving over towards me before laying a hand on my shoulder. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be off to buy some food for when Pyrrha and her boyfriend comes here in a few hours." With that, she left, the clicking of the lock echoing through the empty house. My gaze turned back towards the letter in my hands with a worried glance, and I was all but tempted to throw it into the trash and set it on fire.

Was I scared? Now that there were no other individuals in my current vicinity... yes. My eyes strained to find out as to what kind of letter had she hidden amidst the envelope, but the ashes, soot, and sand that were stuck on it did nothing to help. There was no other choice than to open the damn thing up and read what's written inside.

The seal came off easily, but I made sure that it didn't break.

[ _From the Ashes_ ]

 _To Hheron. Or Hachiman. I don't know - I just keep on calling you by both names and you keep on responding for both of them so ugh..._

 _... nevermind. I'm going to start now. I think. As long as I don't keep on wasting paper. Funny to think that someone had a stock in some dilapidated building not far from where I... well, at least someone's thinking things through._

 _Anyways, if you're reading this, i died. Probably. The only reason that this is going into your hands while I'm alive is if you pry it from my cold, dead corpse. It's hard to be embarrassed about something that you're writing in case of death, but hey there's a first time for everything, right? Right. So, I'll start. Now. Probably. I might put it off again if I start going off in tangents once more._

 _So, I'm dead. And you're reading my last thoughts. Is it weird that I'm thinking of you right now? Sounds cliche and boring and_ awfully _forward of me I know, but I can't help but wonder whether my little tyke's doing alright. Knowing you, I'm preparing myself for every eventuality as to what kind of bullshit you'd come up next. Not that I'm blaming you for that, however. It's actually quite amusing. And funny. At the very least,_ I _seem to think so. Not sure about Roman and Ornus. I was all but convinced that Roman seemed to hate every fiber of your being until our first mission. Whatever happened in that White Fang base? You didn't want to tell me. Roman told me to go and screw myself._

 _Which brings me to here._

 _... I swear it was a good joke. Now, I'm sure that you might be asking me as to why I was willing to be so stupid to do such an idiotic thing like charging through legions of Grimm just to get at that Arthur Watts. It might be the look of pure murder on your face when I mentioned that name. It might be because the guy was responsible for bringing down the... the VAGC. Ugh, seriously, who named this damned Academy? I swear I'll introduce them to my wonderful blade._

 _Ooor, it might be because I didn't think things through. Again. This is like, the nth time where I did something like this, but this time... I don't have you to bail me out of this one. Maybe I shouldn't have been so stupid to charge into this damn problem again, huh? I'm regretting it already. The sandstorm doesn't help matters, either. It's coarse, it's rough, and it gets everywhere... you get the point. If it weren't for you the last few times that I did this sort of thing, I would've been in a body bag much sooner than anyone would expect. Might even set a world record, really._

 _Alright, so maybe I'm rambling. Forgive me for this Hheron, Hachiman, but I've still got a few more things to say to the lot of you. While Ornus_ has _been pretty busy in taking care of his kid, and Roman's been watching over his back like a hawk, you're just... there, hanging around the rest of us without no real purpose in life. I thought you said that you don't want the same thing that happened in your orphanage to ever happen again. Where did that go? Did your entire stay in the VAGC made you change your mind or something? The moment we graduated, I promised you that we'd be kicking criminal rings like there was no tomorrow. Of course, there went your usual pursuits of wanting nothing more than rest, but I think it was just formality back then._

 _So uh, I actually didn't think you were serious when you said that you were going to stay with me, no matter where I went. It_ might _sound creepy from anyone else - and was I creeped out when you said that - but I realized that you were basically telling me that I had your back in everything else that I'd do in the future. Even if it might include marrying a hopeless piece of garbage that shouldn't exist. Maybe I should've left the ring with you, eh? Made it more clear what I wanted to do. Denseness doesn't even describe you that well, Hachiman. I swear._

 _But, the more we kicked butt, the more I came to the startling realization that you were just going to do that. You're going to stick by my side, helping me out in whatever I do... and nothing else. No plans to spend some vacation time at your foster father's place. No plans to just take it slow and get a tour around the Kingdoms. Hell, you didn't even flinch when I said that we needed to cancel our food trip to Vale because Pyrrha was coming along. That's not a good way to live. I'm not sure if I_ could _live like that if we swapped places._

 _I... I guess that my actions must've bitten me more in the ass than I thought. I was so caught up in trying to make you better that I didn't even realize that I became part of the problem. Sometimes, you just zone out, stare into the world around you as if nothing ever existed, you know? It scared me, thinking that my partner would off himself at the earliest opportunity. But I should've been more scared when you stared at me and everything seemed alright. What happens when I'm gone? What happens if I die earlier than you?_

 _And now I'm here, writing my last will and testaments while hiding under an armada of Grimm. I'm pretty sure that I'll die. I'll believe in the Brother Gods when I manage to pull myself out of this mess. But I still worry. I wouldn't worry about my parents or Pyrrha - they might grieve. They might be in sorrow. But I know that they'll move on sooner or later. But what about you, Hachiman? What would_ you _do if I was gone?_

 _... Ha, and I was thinking of making it light-hearted too. You know what they say, though. Sooner or later, you can't lie to the ones that you love._

 _So, yeah. Here's me telling the truth. Don't need a microscope to check out the subtext on this one. Stay safe, you hear? I'll be watching. Except for when you go back into your room. I shudder at the things that you might be doing while you're inside._

 _Yours truly,_

 _Tyre Nikos, glad to have Hheron-Hachiman, as her partner._

[ _From the Ashes_ ]

"RAARGH!" My Aura shapes itself to cover my hand as I try to punch a hole through the statue, only for nothing to happen. I didn't stop. Again, again, and again I try to crack the statue, to make sure that there was nothing left, but it still stood strong. Like her. Like Vacuo. Like Roman and the others. Unlike me. "Fucking... piece of... shit! JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY!"

Another punch. Another action that did nothing. I all but gave up, my legs threatening to fall out from under me as I take my bloodied hand and try to slam it against the statue once more. This time, the blood sticks onto my caricature's eyes, only making the illusion seem more real. It was pathetic. I can't even vandalise properly. "Useless..."

"You seemed to take the letter well." A voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I turn to see Miss Nikos holding a bag of goods, each strapped to an arm. A thin smile formed on her face, her matronly aura shining through, and she hefted up a paper bag to her face. "Instead of trying to deface public property, maybe you could help an old woman with carrying goods too heavy for her."

For whatever reason, a snort comes to my lips at that, even as I take Miss Nikos' baggage without much of a fight. "Please, you're too young to be calling yourself an old man."

"Lucky for you, my husband isn't here." Miss Nikos quipped in good cheer, making me slump forward and sigh as I began following her along winding streets and cobblestone. It gave me more time to stare at my nearby surroundings, seeing quite a few teenagers staring at me with something akin to awe on their faces, their fingers pointing and hushed whispers filling the air. I turn towards Miss Nikos with a raised brow, only for her to give me a coy smile in return. "It seems you're gaining more fame by the second. Might be a coincidence to see you trying to punch out your own statue, don't you think?"

I freeze. That meant that word was spreading right now. I had thought that coming here was a good idea, but given the military presence here, it would've been a death warrant. It would be, considering that they'd probably catch wind of my presence in a few hours. "I'm sorry", I blurted out, causing Miss Nikos to pause as she turned towards me with a puzzled expression on her face. "Look, I-I didn't want to intrude upon you, so I swear by the time that we get back to your home I'll be going. I'm sorry for being such a bother."

"Oh, so now you're being considerate?" I can still sense the hint of sarcasm in Miss Nikos' voice, but I still flinched. More out of guilt than anything else, and coming face-to-face with a truth that I didn't want to know. Her demeanor changed an instant later, laying a hand on my arm as she gave me a soft smile. "... I'm sorry, dear. It's been a... trying time, to get her words into your head. While I'm happy to see that my approach worked, I'm not particularly keen on the outcome." The rage, the screaming, and even though I tried so many ways to get rid of the damn thing, I just couldn't. So I turned towards punching off that face from the damn statue. I didn't deserve to be there, vaunted alongside Tyre. Not me - Hikigaya Hachiman, liar extraordinaire.

"... All of it's my fault. I'm sorry."

"Now don't you be a downer here", Miss Nikos piped back, turning towards me with a frown on her face. "My daughter... Even though I'm sure you didn't know at the time, she enjoyed your company. Up until the very end." My lips purse, with green eyes immediately narrowing onto my change in expression as a teasing smile came on her face. "Oh, what's this? It'd seem like she enjoyed your company more than I ever expected. Would you care to share?"

"I don't want to." Damn that beach. Damn myself too, unconscious reactions are hard to fake, so Miss Nikos could only chuckle and pat myself on the shoulder as we continued on our path to the Nikos household.

"To be fair, I would've approved of you regardless." She suddenly spoke, causing me to blink at where she was suddenly coming from. "I wouldn't know if my husband would have to traumatise you first, but you have my seal of approval." I open my mouth to speak, but Miss Nikos silences me with a glare. "Now normally I would be apprehensive of someone like you, Tyre's letters painted a picture of what you were. What you could become once more. A lazy, cynical young man that always searches the easiest way out of a situation. Couldn't fight for his life with a sword, but can aim properly with any guns that he can get his hands on. Always liked fighting from the back line, more suited to giving support for the rest of his teammates."

"Might act like a puppy craving for his master's attention too, her letters told me." My cheeks turn red even as Miss Nikos chuckles and shifts some of the baggage in her arms, and we turn another into their neighborhood. "I can quite understand as to why you were so attached to her however. She was the only one willing to help you during your... rocky, first month's at the VAGC, right?" I don't know how she pronounced the acronym without gagging or snorting in laughter. "I guess you run by the rules of quid pro quo."

"It's a give and take relationship."

"Of course it was." She countered back with a sly smile, stopping at the front door as she fumbled for her keys. In her impromptu quest, she brought out a small box, her green eyes locking onto them immediately as a flicker of emotions cross her face. Eventually, she settled onto a snort and a smile, passing on the box towards me with a smile. "Hold onto that", she warned me, before pulling out a keyring from her pocket and unlocking the door. "Come in."

"Your box-"

"Did I say that I wanted it back?" I fell silent, feeling a twinge of curiosity at the small thing as I opened it, finding a plain ring in polished sandstone. By all means, the moment I put this on, it was going to snap when my fingers ever grow, but I guess it would fit... on... any finger...

For now...

My mind flashes back towards the letter in my pocket, the faded ink growing heavier and heavier by the second. I stare at the innocuous little thing, connecting it to an innocuous little line, and I can't help but stare at the ring in slight awe. My lips might be trembling. My eyes might be tearing up. All of a sudden, everything clicks, and I make sure to hug the damn thing close to me as my legs finally fail, sending me kneeling in front of the Nikos household, clasping the damn sentimental, little, insignificant... _ring_ in my arms like some sort of weirdo.

A hoarse scream erupts from the base of my throat, a hand coming up to shield my eyes from everything else as I soon felt a warm embrace against me. It wouldn't stop. It never would. But at the very least, I hope that I would get used to it, given enough time.

[ _From the Ashes_ ]

I sat on the bench close to the statue, taking in Tyre's figure with a soft sigh. A can of coffee sat beside me, condensation pouring out in waves, half-filled with the life giving liquid. Once more, my eyes move back towards the statue, eyes fluttering at the frankly horrible statue of me that stood beside her. Hunched posture, hands in pockets, lackadaisical attitude with blank eyes more often than not focusing on a scroll, he was the bane of true Hunters everywhere, from Atlas to Vacuo.

Yet it's quite ironic, to be both Hero of Vale and Atlas fugitive at the same time. "How'd you deal with it, Tyre? With everything?" I knew that I was talking to a statue. I know that I might have some sort of mental problems by considering the fact that I was currently talking to a statue. But this time, I can admit that I'm lost. I'm lost and I have nowhere to go. I didn't belong anywhere in this world, except if one wanted to make a pile called 'Grimm fodder'.

Well, I haven't stopped with the self-deprecation, that's for sure. I wouldn't be Hikigaya Hachiman otherwise. My eyes closed, slowly taking in the details as to what had happened on my decade-long rampage, along with some unsavory facts that I had to accept, no matter what.

 _"You will not be able to return home, Hikigaya Hachiman. Not until you die."_

The genie's words ring through my ears, reminding me of a truth that I would like to forget in the bowels of madness. No matter what I do, I can't go home. Not until I'm dead, anyway. The cliff looked oh-so-inticing, but glancing at the Nikos Household, where Helena Nikos was busy making conversation with Jaune Arc? I could read the mood, no matter how Roman wants to object to the opposite. "What do I do Tyre, when I'm stuck between returning to my family, and wanting to stay longer with the rest of them? I can't take a magical third option here."

My deal with Raven Branwen still stands around in my mind, and I wanted every bit and fiber of my being to make sure that I spit on her face. But not when she's still a Maiden. Not when she's a bandit with no qualms about killing like Qrow and the others do. I'm going to need a magical third option here, one that doesn't result in all-out war on Mistral's streets. "To be honest, I don't know where to start. I can't just leave things be. I've got Roman to protect. A niece to spoil. A student to train. A sister and a family to make up to. Prioritzing hasn't always been my strongest suit, you know? There was a reason as to why they made you leader."

Of course the statue wouldn't reply, idiot. Versions upon mockeries of those lines crop up somewhere in the back of my mind, but I quickly trim them down to more manageable pieces when I turn back towards the statue. A jingle catches my attention, and I turn towards the small sandstone ring currently serving as the relatively simple centerpiece of my new necklace. A thin smile forms on my face, but I quickly force it down as I tried to keep a smug grin from showing on my face.

It was hard, but it became more manageable over time. It would seem like these little reminders seem to lose their potency the more time that goes on. Kind of weird, isn't it? How the easiest path to everything is just to accept that you're gone. I thought that I had a handle on that. Me, Hikigaya Hachiman, the guy who's hopelessly addicted to complexity. So I always figured that I might as well get some mileage out of my grief. Now look at where the world is: Vale reeling back, Atlas all but blaming others for its mistakes, and the Grimm amassing in number in Anima. You should've made me a more hopeful person. One that wouldn't just say 'fuck it' and drag the entire world screaming alongside his downfall.

Then again, you were pretty hopeless as well. I guess great minds think alike as well. "Oh yeah, let me tell you about Neo. You know, Ornus' kid? Yeah, she's about nineteen now, but don't make any jokes about her height. She's really shy about it, and she could be quite as vicious as her father when all the chips were down..."

And so I talked. My voice was shaky, uncertain, and everything else in between that isn't me, but I still kept on talking. Anything to pass the silence. Anything to ignore the fact that I wanted to bring back the chaos that the past once held. "So you know, I'm trying to get her a present, but I think that just giving her a truckload of ice cream is bad for her health. You think so?"

My lips purse as I wait for an answer that would never come, and I sigh and lean back onto the bench, gazing up towards the sky, where a gray expanse hung over the entirety of Argus. A bitter laugh escapes my lips as I hold out the sandstone ring for me to see, a thin smile on my face. "I guess it's both of our fault. If I... Well, if I've been more conscious of myself then this would probably never happen. Maybe if we just..."

"Professor, help!"

I sigh, tucking my necklace back into the folds of my clothing as I glance back towards the impromptu picnic just a few feet away, finding Miss Nikos turning over my student with a discerning eye. A small chuckle forms across my lips, a mere shadow to what it was like before, but baby steps. I'd get there. I have to.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming..."

* * *

 **AN: To the end of this chapter! Twas Broken Paladin before, but after a little bit of soul-searching I found myself bearing the name of Erithemaeus! For reasons, but the biggest one is because it actually resembles a pen name.**

 **AAnyways, this is the fourth chapter of This War of Mine, continuing on with the events from the first chapter. I'm currently editing the damn thing since I'm sure that most were turned off by the bad grammar, but eh I did the first chapter on my phone. Not really a good thing, considering it just fits in my palm unlike the new-fangled doohickeys that seem to be one-upping each other in the size department...**

 **... I'm not jealous, I swear.**

 **So! About this chapter's themes. I wanted to bring more focus into what comes 'after', along with the disillusionment that one would have at the end of accomplishment. For 8man, it's the joy of managing to stop Salem's plans once more, but she's not really featured that much in this chapter. After all, this one's a character study. This time, of a Hachiman with all his purpose robbed, and how he initially deals, reacts, and slowly copes with it.**

 **Due to this, I had to scrap my preview. Sorry about that, but adding a fully-functioning Hheron in this story would just blow off all stakes. Having a dead man as your constant aid would be quite the tension-breaker.**

 **Also, I added a few little bits and details to answer some questions that one might or might not have, all in the power of details. While I wanted to talk a bit more about the way that I have been writing this entire chapter, I'll save it for another time. Until then, peace.**

 **Or at least, until mah next poll. Mwahahahaha!**

 **EDIT: Poll's up!**


	5. Aftermath

**AN: College is a biatch. So here I am, currently finish this chapter up after semester's end, after months of no updates. This might be the most inconsistent fic that I've ever updated. Anyway, not a lot to say here, so let's just get onto the chapter.**

* * *

[Aftermath]

As I stood there on the grounds of the Amity Colosseum, staring at my would-be killer in the eye, he came. Someone who I had conflicted feelings for ever since I found out who he is, and what he meant to me. A man who by all means should've pushed others away by his presence alone, yet seemed to draw me in nonetheless. One who lives his life as if it were his last, reminiscing upon the broken moon with a flask of alcohol in hand and a broken expression in the other.

That wasn't who I saw right now. The person currently swinging his cloak of blades in an overwhelming frenzy wasn't the hopeless, broken man that Jaune and I knew all too well. At that moment, that man now resembled the faceless figure from my dreams, the one that sought to find my sister and an ice cream in Vacuo. The one who had taught me to shy away from the fame, and the hidden blades that surged forth upon taking the spotlight. The same figure who had carried me to safety when an endless tide of darkness seemed to wash over the sands and render everything that I loved dead. He was there, up on the same stage as Cinder Fall, pushing through amidst her blades and flames with an indomitable cloak of blades watching over him like sentinels. Jaune had told me that it was difficult to manifest Aura as a solid object - that it was infinitely easier to channel it through a medium to trigger its effects instead. How strong is Professor Acht's - no, Hachiman's - strength of will then that he is able to use not one, nor two, but sixteen blades of a pale gray shimmer, whirling upon Cinder Fall like a cyclone? Even with everything that I can throw with my Semblance... I'm not sure I can stand up to that.

So it only stood to reason that Cinder Fall died. That her parting words of seething rage and broiling metal were stopped short by a blade of one's soul piercing straight through her heart, rendering all of her efforts to sabotage us for naught. The world would see Hachiman as a hero, lauded as the individual who stopped a sinister plot to destroy Vale right in its tracks. Yet the expression on his face made me doubt, watching the slightest grimace form on one side of his lips as he brought out his blade from Cinder Fall's heart and ran it through her head. The sight should have made me queasy. At the very least, if I was in any other situation, I would have already been retching on the floor. But without Aura - but lacking the strength of will to push myself just a tiny inch forward, I merely watched on the sidelines. Unable to help. Unable to do anything.

Just like Vacuo.

I watched as my savior ripped out his blade of Aura from Cinder Fall's head, the crimson liquid dribbling down the edge of the blade and forming drops that splattered against the colosseum floor. The sword made from his soul dissipated into motes of gray light, Hachiman stumbling forward by a single step with knees all but slamming against the ground, and he let out a hoarse scream that chilled me to the bone. I wondered why. She had killed so many people in her quest to gain the Fall Maiden's powers. Why was he so affected by it?

My gaze turns towards the dissipating cloak of blades, and everything clicked. Aura, in its oft-told form, is the manifestation of one's soul. It requires a great deal of willpower to draw it out to use as a weapon, but it wasn't the only cost. Since Aura is the manifestation of one's soul - the very essence of a person laid bare - then what would happen should they use it to take the life of another?

… A great part of my mind tells me to ignore the question. It was compelling, but I disregarded it nonetheless. At the very least, it explained why one of the strongest people I know is down on their knees, next to the cooling corpse of a mass-murderer, and screaming their very heart out until their throat grew hoarse.

Silver dances around the edges of my vision, and I finally lose myself to unconsciousness.

[ _Aftermath_ ]

I wake up to the sight of a bland and smooth wall of gray. The steady beep of a heart monitor was the first thing to come to my senses, then the shuffling of clothes, of voices loud and awake, then a cacophony of noises that threatened to pound against my ears. I whimpered and tried hiding underneath the pillow, the harsh light from the edge of my vision fading away somewhat. Pain flashes through my arm, but Aura quickly heals it just as the heart monitor starts to emit a long beep. The noises grated even more now, shouts and things being scattered around the area, and I slammed my Semblance against everything in the room in order to gain some peace and quiet.

The heart monitor is broken. A few people were groaning, but at the very least their voices didn't grate into my ears. The room became darker as well, and I can't help but let out a small, relieved sigh before finally turning back around and seeing who made all the ruckus. Red hair, black, and yellow mixed into one incongruous mess, and my throat warbles as I grip my covers tight to try and say something. Anything. To let them know that I'm here- "Pyr!"

Warmth courses through my body as I found myself being held up against a cool metal breastplate. His body stank underneath, the hoodie doing nothing but accentuate the odor, but just the fact that he was here is enough. It was a bad idea. I'll never do it again. Words tried to spill themselves out of my lips, but I can't seem to articulate for myself as I grab him close and wrap my arms around him even tighter. The uncomfortable metal pressed against my cheek, but it was easily remedied by my Semblance taking the breastplate out of the way. I missed him. I really do. Never again am I going to do such a thing again.

"Jaune… Jaune… I- Jaune..."

"It's fine, Pyr. Everything's fine. We're all here." I felt the stress leaving out of my shoulders for each sentence that Jaune said, rubbing my head the same way as Professo- Hachiman - did. "You're okay. It's not a dream. You can cry."

So I did. I babbled and spoke and teared up, words scrambling together into one hideous mess as I tried to fix myself once more. A few agonizing minutes passed before I could finally take a few moments to heave and breathe, slumping against Jaune's embrace as he kept on stroking my head. If he was doing it to calm me down, then it's working. I can finally reach for the last memories that I had before I fell unconscious, one of... One of a... One of Hachiman. "Jaune."

"Yeah, Pyr?"

"Where's Professor Acht?"

Silence. I had come to learn that it wasn't a good thing. With trembling hands, I gripped onto Jaune's hoodie and pulled back, cupping his cheeks against my palms to see the devastated expression on his face. A pit formed in my gut, and a slight glance to both Nora and Ren told me things that I didn't want to think about. Things that I didn't want to acknowledge. Things that I wanted to stuff in a box at the back of my mind and forget that it ever existed. "Jaune", I urged, tugging on his face as panic began welling up from the depths of my soul. No... It couldn't be, right? It's just not possible. He's strong. He protected me. He can do it again. "Jaune. Where's Professor Acht?"

"Mr. Branwen escaped capture two weeks before you woke up, Miss Nikos." A cold voice entered my ears, and I release my grasp on Jaune's head before whirling around to see General Ironwood blocking the door behind him. The cold tone drained up all of my anger, but in its place rage began building up. I knew that tone. It was the same one that they used to make me accept being a part of their little 'group'. A way to break bad news in a solemn manner. "He delivered you to medical care after you well unconscious, but we were unable to track him down after that."

An uneasy silence came after, mostly because his eyes were carefully watching the rattling objects scattered about the room. Jaune and the rest of my team froze, suddenly looking like they had no idea what to do, and it only reinforced the sinking feeling in my gut even further. "Where's Professor Acht."

Now, it wasn't a question any longer. Still, it took a few more minutes to get a reply from General Ironwood. And it wasn't one that I wanted to hear. "Mr. Branwen has been designated as a criminal by Atlas, and is thus currently a fugitive, by all intents and purposes. You will not, under any intents or purpose, aid or abet him, or we will designate you as an accomplice to his crimes as well. Am I clear, Ms. Nikos?"

The first hunk of metal flew at his face nary an instant later.

[ _Aftermath_ ]

"Hey, Cereal Girl." I look up to find Yang draped over the seat next to the ruined terminal, shooting me a wide grin that I ignored in turn. My gaze turns back towards the letters splayed out all over the table, a letter-opener right by the edge of the table. Or at the very least, a chunk of metal that I picked off from somewhere. As much as Beacon was getting its repairs done with unnatural quickness (I have seen Professor Goodwitch roaming around the halls at night), you can still find some ruined parts of the school tucked away in some hidden corner where you would least expect it. It would seem like Blake had been in a lousy mood these past few days, given that the adult books section of the store had been reduced to splinters and ashes.

She had blamed the White Fang for that. No one made to argue.

"What is it, Yang?" The words came out curt and to the point, my hands reaching out to accomplish a part of my daily routine once more as I began cutting open the letters. Most of it were from my mother, inquiring about the current state of Vale's affairs and subtly asking whether or not I was fine. This, coupled with the daily news in Argus stapled with the letters, were a pretty fine picture of what I had been doing for the past few weeks since I was awake. "Go bother someone else if you're just here to have some fun."

As expected, Yang reared back, not used to the kind of contrite way that I spoke nowadays. To be fair, most of RWBY was concerned with their own state of affairs, what with Weiss being taken back to Atlas with her father. "Woah Cereal Girl, finally got some bite in you, eh? We should go and celebrate, you know? Maybe head out into Vale some time, hang around a few bars, meet up with a few guys-"

"Not interested." I shut down, slamming another letter down on the table as my eyes focused on one of the articles relegated to the reemergence of Roman Torchwick in Mistral. Given Professor Acht's - Hachiman's… past, I'm sure that he tagged along with him. Or at the very least, Roman Torchwick knows where to find him. "If you want to play around, then do it with someone else. I have something important to do."

"Like finding out what Roman Torchwick's up to?" I keep on rifling through the newspapers, eyes flicking to and fro to find some kind of connection... some kind of evidence to find out if Hachiman was with him and whoever his accomplice is. "Trust me Cereal Girl, I've already been through this once. Remember Blake and her White Fang obsession? Sometime, I have _got_ to talk with Torchwick and find out as to why everyone's interested in him."

"This isn't your business, Yang. Shouldn't you be more worried about trying to get your teammate back from Atlas?" I asked, and by the way Yang flinched I had managed to strike a nerve. A second later, she was held up in the air by my Semblance, Ember Cecilia fully-drawn and a snarl on her face. Cute, really. If it wasn't for Hachiman, then she might have - no, she _would have -_ died to Adam Taurus of the White Fang. A month and a few weeks after the attack on Beacon, and she still hasn't learned her lesson? Hachiman would've made a face in disgust. It was by mere coincidence that I find myself doing the same.

"... I have no time to play with you, Yang. Now be off." I finished after a few seconds of her raging at me, flinging her out of the shattered window with my Semblance and returning back towards my work. Yes, work. It wasn't a hobby that I could just drop off whenever I wanted, but a responsibility - I wanted to find _him_ , to give my thanks to Hachiman for saving my life all those years ago and today. At the very least, I owed him that.

My gaze turned towards my surroundings, finding a disgruntled figure with blond hair trudging towards me while scratching the back of his head. It was obvious that Jaune didn't want to do this. And it was obvious by the way that he stopped before addressing me. "... Pyr."

"Jaune."

He gestured towards the empty seat beside me, and I motioned for him to do so. I noticed that he wasn't wearing his armor. A wise decision, but one that made me more suspicious. It was as if he didn't trust me that I wouldn't do anything to hurt him. Still, I ignored the flinch of my eye and watched him rifle through the articles that I had already rifled through, his lips pursed and blue eyes taking in everything that the articles had written. Roman Torchwick resuming operations in Mistral. A new apprentice to help him with his thefts. Gang wars. It was obvious that Roman Torchwick and whoever was with him (I hoped that it was Hachiman) were causing as much chaos as possible in order to... what, exactly? The Grimm weren't particularly enthused to pound against Mistral's walls even with the increased violence in the Kingdom, so it wasn't as if negativity was at an all-time high. There has to be something that I'm missing.

"So... You're still intent on finding him?"

I freeze, turning towards Jaune with a cold glare, only for him to chuckle and shake his head. "Pyr, I also want to find him too. I also want to thank him for saving your life, and possibly Vale. But the things that he's done, if the General and Professor Goodwitch is correct..." He shuddered, indecision making its very distinct mark on his face. At the very least, he's starting to see things my way. "Is this why you're trying to search for him? To ask if everything that he did for us was..."

He trailed off, motioning listlessly with his hands while I kept my silence and began rifling through this week's paper. A sigh escapes Jaune's lips a moment later, and he leans back against his seat, the wood creaking against him. "I'll help you in finding him, Pyr. But... but if you want to just let him free, after all that he's done, then I'll disagree with you on that one."

"Hachiman-"

" _Professor Acht_ _took Ruby hostage,_ Pyrrha." Jaune stressed, his hands clenching into fists as his eyes gained a stormy look, teeth gritted in a barely-concealed snarl. I sympathized with him, I really did - but if he didn't stop, then he would be getting the same treatment as Yang. "His own family. Half-sister. Or whatever the hell his relation is with both of them. Whatever leeway I had with him was thrown out the window the moment he did that. He's going to have to answer for that, at the very least."

"Then we'll just agree to disagree, then." I replied in an emotionless tone, flicking through yesterday's paper and finding another article of the escalating gang wars in Mistral. A picture of a firefight in action, with Roman Torchwick and that Neo girl in center frame up against a couple of thugs with Dust rifles, but something felt off. Then a second later, it clicked. I splayed the article on the table, ignoring Jaune's glance towards me, and I narrowed my eyes at what I had initially dismissed as a smudge amongst the alleyways where the thugs had apparently come from. There, on a ledge overlooking the entire battlefield, a blurry smudge. I would have just tossed it away as a printer's mistake...

… If it were not for the unnatural lines of gray plastered behind it. A cloak of blades, if I were to make an educated guess.

"Bingo."

[ _Aftermath_ ]

Two and a half months had passed ever since the attack on Beacon, and I was still under technical house arrest for trying to murder a General of Atlas. But at this point, I didn't care for the dark rumors springing up around me, nor the growing distance between me and my teammates. Only Jaune understood, but his goals were against mine. Ironic.

However, the view from the top of the dormitories wasn't so bad. I can see as to why Hachiman likes it so much. So much of the city that he can see from this angle, looking over Vale the same way he did so for me. A shudder escapes my lips, my shoulders shaking against the crisp night air, but I ignored it as I slowly fished out a photograph from my blouse's pocket. There I saw Hachiman once again in his glory days as team THOR's ranged support, scowling at the camera while mirroring the same expression that a younger Roman Torchwick had. My vision blurs as a thumb passes over my sister's visage, her smile as blinding as ever even under the scorching heat of Vacuo's desert. Frankly, I'm even surprised to see that she can even wear those kinds of clothes without baking herself from the inside out, but I've been told that she just carries a pack of ice Dust with her at all times.

Once more, I am reminded of their absence. Of my sister's warmth, of Hachiman's standoffish gaze, and Jaune's idle support. Here I am, once again alone at the top. What's the point of it all when everything just falls apart at the end, really? I couldn't save my sister. I can't do anything to help Hachiman, and Jaune's doing everything he can to drive our mentor out instead of helping him. What else can I do? I... I've got nothing.

All except for another letter hidden within the pockets of my blouse, laden with the weight of the dead.

It was a quaint little thing that my mother had sent me along with today's letter and newspaper, nothing more than another envelope sealed inside another. The moment that I saw the telltale stain of sand on what was supposed to be pristine paper, I knew what it was. What it contained. Who had written it. And to who it was addressed to. My hands trembled at the thought of reading it, my throat dries when I try to speak the name of who had written it. I can't even form the words to read a single letter on the damn thing without breaking down into tears.

But I had to try. Another hitch comes across my breath as I brush over the letter, my fingers pinching the sandy corner of the envelope and trembling to take it out. I gritted my teeth, closing my eyes and drawing the envelope out in one go before slowly opening my eyes once more. The letter stared back at me, completely silent. Containing the voices of the dead... and mocking me for unable to even stomach the sight of it.

My heartbeat quickens, the blood rushing to and from different parts of my body as I tremble once more, but now I don't know the reason as to why. It might be the cold or the fact that I was now holding my sister's last will in my hand, but I suddenly found myself unable to breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Take a deep breath. Let it all out. It was supposed to be easy, but it became harder to do it the more that I focused. Damn it. Damn it all.

I just don't want to be alone anymore.

 _"Hey, lil' sis."_ I blink, finding the envelope that contained my sister's will a few paces away from me and emitting a hologram of... _her_. My sister. Tears threatened to blur my vision, but I wiped them off with an arm while I burned all of the details into my mind. The bright smile. It was always the bright smile that I always locked onto. So happy, so carefree... Sometimes, I wonder as to why she always acted that way. _"Happy to see me? Be sure that you do. Mom, Dad, and even Hachiman got actual letters. All except you, of course. I needed to splurge on you somehow. Even after, uh... my death."_

Bright blue eyes flitted away from my gaze, and I held my breath as I reached out with an arm in order to touch my sister. They looked so much like Jaune's when he's excited about something. Always optimistic and confident, even if she was a completely different person before she went to Vacuo. Even so, my hand just passed through her, and I couldn't help but choke back a sob as I draw my hand back as if it were on fire. _"So... sorry I couldn't treat you to a graduation ice cream. Like, I know that you eat tons of it at home, but you haven't exactly tasted Vacuan-made ice cream. All except for that one time wherein Hachiman bought you some, but... yeah, that's it, really."_

She cleared her throat, with hair the same shade as mine bouncing happily even if she looked like she had been running for over a mile. _"Right, anyway where was I? Uh... farewell messages. Right. I-uh, already said what needed to be said about Hachiman himself in his letter, so uh, I'm sure that you'll be disappointed that he wouldn't get to be your brother-in-law. Sorry about that."_

It was nothing to feel sorry for. That's just the way how life is. My mouth opened to speak those words, but no sound came out. _"So anyway, he'll still make a good older brother, you know. Always watches over you like a hawk when he thinks we're not watching. It's too adorable I tell you, and I'm rambling about him again, aren't I? Damn it, I'm a bad sister."_

No you weren't, I wanted to cry out. Even if she was a bit scatter-brained, and a little weird, and a bit too vicious when it came to weeding out my crushes, it wasn't as if she's a bad sister. She was the best. The very best of the best. I'm sure that not even Hachiman could beat her when she's on the hunt for that one kid that made my cry during one of my visits in Vacuo. Or at the very least, I didn't remember him joining in the hunt, but then again he was the ranged support wasn't he? Maybe he was just hanging around with a Dust rifle aimed at the kid, ready to pull the finger on the trigger. It fit him to a tee, the same way that he was a perfect fit for her.

 _"Anyway, I have a feeling that you guys are going to be sad when I'm gone. You and Hachiman, specially, but I guess it's obvious, isn't it."_ She scratches her cheek, glancing towards the side while letting out a strained laugh. _"Ugh, what was I thinking, straddling myself along here without so much as a backup..."_

My sister takes a deep breath, the brevity gone from her eyes as she stared at me from beyond the grave, the pre-recorded hologram even recording the moment her lips shift into a thin line. _"... Pyrrha. Don't live in the past, alright? Too much hassle and baggage waiting for you there. Not to say that they aren't important - because they are - but you're going to be losing out on all the good things that you haven't seen before. I should know. I've been keeping Hachiman here as a replacement for Hera, only to realize that... he's so much more. Now, I would've liked to kick myself for being such an asshole, but there's not enough time for me, is there? If you're watching this, then I'm dead. Not much else that you can do, lil sis. Now be a good girl, alright? I taught you well. Don't be like that dick Hachiman. Greatest big sister in the world, out."_

The hologram beeped, my sister's figure dissipating back into thin air as the envelope began blinking once or twice before shutting off entirely. Moments pass before I find myself prodding the thing to see if it still works, and the fact that my sister's figure appeared once more was enough evidence that it still is working properly. My hands reach out to the hologram, shutting off the device with the press of a button, and a shudder escapes my lips as I lean back against the wall and let the cold seep through me. The tears stopped, the only evidence that they were there in the first place being the faint glimmers that streaked down my cheeks.

With quivering steps, I began making my way back to our dorm, clutching the sand-worm envelop tightly in my hand.

[ _Aftermath_ ]

The Bullhead was eerily silent, save for the sound of the engines. I stared out at one of the few portholes, finding a vast sea leading towards a large strip of land, then further that was a small, tiny blip of a sheer cliff amidst an entire mountain range. Inside it lies Mistral, our vehicle's current destination. Not a lot of our fellow first-years came with me, given that most of them lived in Vale and the neighboring villages, but one that _did_ come with me sat on the other side of the Bullhead, taking up three seats on the opposite aisle and blankly staring at the dull gray metal on the ceiling. Did Jaune have relatives in Mistral? I had always thought that his family lived in Vale.

… But now was not the time to ask such questions. What I needed to do was to review my plan, and hope that everything works out. However, everything relied on getting in contact with Torchwick. And as much as the man is as flamboyant as the press makes him out to be, he wouldn't be a very good thief if he knew where to hide. And I couldn't just skulk around the less... favorable parts of Mistral in an attempt to find him. There was much less incentive for that, given that my disguise wouldn't hold up to intense scrutiny. Enough to avoid the media yes, but not enough to escape a criminal's attention.

And I'm just throwing myself into the fire. Tyre would be _so_ proud of me right now. I'm not sure if I considered it a compliment or not.

In any case, it has been three months since the attack on Beacon, and Vale is finally looking like a decent city. People have been mingling about at night, but were still understandably fearful, and almost all the Huntsmen and Huntresses out of Vale had been recalled back to the Kingdom to work in twelve-hour shifts. Most of us in Beacon tried to alleviate the grueling shifts as well as we could, but it wasn't as if we could hold a candle towards those who actually had more experience than us in the matter. At the very least, we were a stop-gap solution at best, and even we had to take our break from the countless hours spent in the early hours of the morning, watching out for any Grimm on the horizon. Thus, the hastily-put together vacation.

Most of us had rolled over and accepted it, but even I knew that the sigh of relief that I let out upon exiting Vale airspace was nothing short of genuine.

"Ten more minutes before we enter Mistral airspace." The speaker crackles and the pilot's voice comes in through the line, the sudden noise causing Jaune to awaken from his impromptu slumber and rouse himself from the uncomfortable bed. I would've giggled at the sight, but I instead settled for a light chuckle behind the back of my hand as he checked his weapons and back before pumping a fist in victory. Frankly, it was disappointing to see that his airsickness was gone. Then again, Hachiman had beaten it out of Jaune during the latter's short tenure as his apprentice.

"Pyr, where are we?" The question makes me blink, and I glance towards Jaune with confusion dancing on my eyes to find bleary blue eyes blinking into my own. I sighed in realization, steadying my hands and forcing myself to smile the way I did before... all of this.

"We're about ten minutes away from Mistral, Jaune." I lightly chided him, finding it hard to get out of the familiar tone that my voice just... slipped into. "You shouldn't just sleep through the entire trip. Who knows if there was some kind of emergency on the way there?"

"Uh, right... I'll remember that." The last cobwebs of sleep seemed to fade away from Jaune's expression, and his easygoing expression now turns into a flat line and an even flatter frown. "Thanks for your concern, Pyrrha, but I can take care for myself just fine."

I didn't bother replying back, instead just giving a nod and turning back to staring at the landscape. The Bullhead banks ever-so slightly to the left, the sheer cliff now mere tens of meters in front of us just as a hole in the smooth stone reveals itself and we pass on through. The hairs on the back of my spine rises at the sudden feeling of claustrophobia, only to be dismissed an instant later as the Bullhead finishes the pass and we find ourselves in Mistral's docks. Even here, the city seems to be full of life, blimps of all shapes, sizes, and designs, and I could see Jaune's wordless wonder as he flicks his eyes all about the small porthole. As for me, I grew even warier as the Bullhead touched down on a relatively clean dock, the ramp behind us opening up as I released my seatbelts and made my way down towards the underworks of Mistral with Jaune trailing just a little bit behind me, still awed by the size of the docking complex that lied underneath Mistral's steep city structure.

My feet moved with purpose, eyes scanning left and right as we were directed towards a relatively deserted customs building and waived through without much issue, if one didn't count the flocking of the staff upon finding our identities. After that, a few members of the border patrol that we passed through gave us a wave, and we return one back with a smile before continuing on our journey towards Mistral's main streets. The route I could still remember with unerring clarity, and my feet pounded against the stone floor as we were once again ushered through another security checkpoint before we were allowed to enter Mistral's bustling metropolis.

The sudden afternoon glare did little to lighten up my mood, but it seemed to work for Jaune, the faint wisps of a grin forming on his face as he keeps on whirling around whenever he tries to take a single step forward. It takes about a few minutes for him to catch up, and even then the grin still hasn't been wiped off his face as he laid a hand on my shoulder to stop me from clambering towards the nearest bar located about two decks down from where we entered Mistral proper, bordering the line between the average establishments and those toeing the line of the law.

"Pyr, what are you rushing around for? We can sightsee for a little bit, right?"

"You do that." I reply back, testing the door's grip before unlocking it with a slight pull of my Semblance. Jaune opened his mouth to stop me, but something in my gaze made him freeze. I saw the shift in his expression, the tensing of his muscles as I slam the door open towards the closed bar-

"Argh!"

A wooden stool topples over as Roman Torchwick tumbles over like a heavy sack of potatoes, his iconic hat tumbling away from his grasp and rolling straight towards us. It didn't help that it had a metallic bond, making it easy to control its path with a relatively unnoticed use of my Semblance. His eyes shone with visible confusion, then turned into shock, his jaw hanging open as he tried grabbing something to prop him off the floor. It seemed that he was tongue-tied for whatever reason. "T-Tyre…?"

Right. There was that. I sighed, shoulders slumping forward while I gingerly removed my contacts, and the thief's expression quickly morphed into a grimace while I stepped to the side and allowed him to see Jaune. Glass shattered later, and the woman who almost killed Yang materialized on a nearby stool, parasol slung over her shoulder as she stared at us with a quirked-up smile. Two-for-two, but just in case that things go wrong my gaze flickers towards the blonde, heavyset woman by the bar. It was a stand off, and the result of months of planning and tracking. How many hours have I spent poring over secondhand news, trying to connect everything together into one coherent (albeit tangled) train of thought? At the very least, my first intuitive guess was correct. Step one done.

Step two... "Ah. Well, as much as I'd like to see the prodigal children return, I'm afraid that you just missed your dear mentor on the way out."

… The first metallic object that I saw crumpled under a dark gray light.

[ _Aftermath_ ]

"All that time wasted..."

"Now, now, at the very least you found me, right?" Torchwick asked, waving his cigar with his usual smile while his assistant nodded along with him. "I can point you to where he's gone. Or at the very least, make an educated guess."

I frown at the unexpected generosity. "Let me guess", Torchwick once again spoke, eyes glimmering with malicious mischief as he leaned across the table with a grin, "You're suspicious because I'm not exactly a generous person. Maybe trade a favor... help me with a job or two, something like that coursing through your mind?"

"Pyrrha-"

"Relax, kid." The thief sighs, pushing Jaune back into his seat with the tip of his cane. I noticed that the base was still smoldering for whatever reason. Maybe he had just gotten back from another job, and he wanted nothing more than to be rid of us. I tensed, waiting for a strike that never came, and met Torchwick's grin with a frown on my own. "Think of this as a freebie, from me to you. I already have enough of my plate just by dealing with Neo over here, and I can't exactly deal with any other hanger-ons without exhausting myself. At the very least, Hachiman could take care of himself. You guys...?"

We couldn't. That much was obvious, and if Torchwick wanted to heckle us, then he would find no reactions from us. A few seconds pass before a sigh escapes Torchwick's lips, taking another drag from his cigar and letting the smoke billow about the room. "You guys are no fun." He states after a moment, "Well, might as well get on with it then. Less time for me before I send you guys away and the like."

He grins, tapping his cane against the floor as I felt the hairs on my body stand up. "So, knowing that idiot, he's just following my orders to take a break. Well that, and brooding about our latest problem, but you're not here for that." Torchwick tosses a catalog on the table, grinning like a loon. "Boil it down to the basics, and Hachiman's more liable to take the easy way out, if you know what I mean. A bit easier to look for tourist spots rather than striking out on your own, after all. Might be safer than sticking it up on the open road, where there's less bandits around, you know?"

My brows turned up in confusion as I gingerly pick up the catalog from the table and began browsing through it. Most of the catalog was about Mistral, its history and culture, and most of the damn thing was littered with various tourist spots on the city itself. From what Torchwick had said about Hachiman's whereabouts, then it was most likely that he was sent away from the main city, but still within Mistral's borders just in case that the thief needs his help. If that was the case, then almost all of the information here is useless, save for a brief blurb about a tourist attraction in-

"No." I breathed, eyes wide in revelation as Torchwick stares at me with unabashed curiosity. The catalog drops to the table, and I scrape my chair back as I quickly scrambled out of the door and contacted my mother. While the CCT tower in Vale was destroyed, the CCT in Mistral was still functioning, and I held my breath as I waited for the call to connect. "Please don't. Don't be an idiot, Hachiman, please..."

What was he thinking? Argus has a strong Atlesian presence, even going so far as having a garrison situated at a bluff overlooking the small town. By all means, it was the worst place to visit during a time where he's being hounded by Atlesian forces. Then again, there was a saying that the best way to hide is to choose a spot wherein an opponent would least likely expect it. A lesson drilled into us time and time again during his tenure with us as one of Beacon's combat professors. At the very least, it is comforting to note that he does what he preaches.

Then again, there was the inherent risk that he could be found...

... My gut wrenched even further as I saw my mother's face. The large grin on her lips did nothing but make me shudder. There were a few things that could make her smile like that. _"Hello, dear. Judging by this call, it seems that you're already in Mistral. At what time are you going to Argus? I have someone that I'd like you to meet."_

If that wasn't a confirmation of my worst fears, then I don't know what is. "W-Who is it?"

 _"Oh, just some random drunkard that I met on the street."_ My mother replies, the mischievous glint in her eyes rising to the surface once more as she saw the frown on my face. _"Ah, don't worry about me, dear. He just needs some help, is all. I mean, he still hasn't seen the statue yet, but we're getting there."_ She dropped her voice into a conspiratorial whisper, narrowing her eyes for no apparent reason. _"Although he does remind me of that 'Acht' fellow that Atlas has been trying to find for months now. Keep this a secret, hm?"_

"I will." Not that I'm doing it already. Even so, it wasn't as much of a problem compared to-

"So... Professor Acht's in Argus huh?"

I yelped, immediately turning the scroll away as I whirled around and shot Jaune a glare. His eyes were focused on my scroll however, which proved to be his undoing as my mother soon spoke up from the other end of the line. _" Pyr, who was that?"_

"N-Nothing, Mom..." I trailed off, stomping on Jaune's foot and shushing him whenever he tried to open his lips. For added effect, I stomped on his foot again, although this one was just for petty revenge. "I uh, almost tripped. Should've paid more attention to the road. I mean, I am now, but you know that-"

 _"Pyrrha Nikos, get that young man on the scroll."_ I winced, stomping Jaune's foot one more time before angling the scroll towards him. I can see the moment where my mother's eyes turned from sharp to motherly in an instant, and I can't help but let out a strangled sound out of my lips as she began to coo at Jaune. Not the time, and definitely not the place. _"Oh. Why_ hello _there young man. Do you mind telling me who you are and what are you currently doing with my daughter?"_

Jaune froze like a deer in the headlights, blue eyes locked onto my mother on the scroll, and a wry laugh escapes his lips when I threatened him with another stomp on the foot. "Uh, my name's Jaune Arc, ma'am. And I'm uh... helping Pyrrha find our mentor."

 _"Ah."_ My mother's voice turns wistful, a flash of emotion crossing her gaze before turning back to her usual smile within the span of a second. _"Little Hachiman, right? I do remember him from a long time ago. He's your teacher now, isn't he? My, how far he's come."_

"He's also a wanted fugitive by Atlas." Jaune curtly replied back, and my mother tried her best to smooth down the irritated expression that cams across her features. It worked, but only on him.

 _"And Atlas has no business in butting into the affairs of Mistral. Am I wrong?"_ Jaune looked tongue-tied, and a part of me cheered on my mother for as long as it lasted. In any case, my mother glanced towards me, and I nod as turn back the scroll towards me, a watery smile on my face. _" Dear, when are you coming home?"_

"Today." I replied, "I'll be taking the first train to Argus."

 _"Do let me know when you're near the house, alright? I'm sure that you'll like my present for you."_ There was the glimmer of mischief once more, and I couldn't help but chuckle along as a thin smile forms on my face.

"Sure do, Mom."

[ _Aftermath_ ]

I'm in jitters, pacing back and forth along our compartment in the train while the landscape passes by in a blur. Jaune was currently hunched over his scroll, shoulders tense and a hand occasionally twitching towards his sword, but nevertheless didn't do anything. Both of us were deep in thought, that much was obvious.

One more push, and we would meet our mentor after three long months. And Jaune and I still differed on what we thought about the matter. He was on the mind that he should answer for the crimes pitted on him, and while I was sure that they were hogwash, I knew that what he did to Ruby was a bit... iffy to forgive. I could understand Jaune's anger, but it didn't mean that he had done it for no reason. Atlas was pinning the blame on the attack of Beacon on Hachiman, and it meant that they were constantly looking for him all around the Kingdoms. Mistral had been in an uproar about it, the protests at the train station being a blatant result of Atlas' 'intervention' into international affairs, and they were basically on thin ice with every other Kingdom in Remnant.

Vale had been hit hard most, since it was Atlas' ships and mechanical soldiers that had fired at them during the attack on Beacon. The amount of resentment skyrocketed the moment they realized that Atlas troops still hadn't fallen back in search of their 'fugitive', and the amount of tension was palpable in the air, if the CCT articles that I keep finding were any indication. Nothing more than a spark, and... it wouldn't be good. Everything's already coming out of the rug, and it would seem like Atlas is beset by enemies on all sides. All of their own design, of course.

Peace is already seeming like a fleeting thing to chase for at this time. Would Remnant really plunge itself in another war?

My shoulders couldn't help but shudder when I find that I couldn't answer the question. "Pyrrha. What would you do when we finally meet Professor Acht?"

That was the question, wasn't it? I still haven't even gotten an answer to it, as much as I would like to have one by this point in time. So close to the end of our goal, and I'm getting cold feet. Shouldn't I be more determined about this? That I could find some measure of closure in finding Hachiman and making sure that he's alright?

… Although that may be where my fears lie. That Hachiman would be fine without us with him, and that he'd go on without even looking back. He did the same for Ruby, didn't he? His own half-sister and cousin-by-law, used as a hostage to ensure his escape from Atlas. What if that was who we are to him? Nothing more than mere pawns for his own goals? I don't even know as to _why_ he's doing all of this. Letting the blame fall on him for the attack on Beacon, evading and escaping Atlesian authorities, alienating any kind of ally that he might find in the process by taking his own sister-cousin-whatever-Ruby-is-to-him hostage, and aiding and abetting a known thief in establishing a criminal empire right under Mistral's nose? Why do all of this?

Was his concern for Jaune and I nothing more than a fabrication? That he'd willingly use us and our connection towards him to further his own goals? Was this what Jaune was worried about all along? That I somehow lost myself into believing that he had some altruistic goals to justify his actions, that I was banking on my prior knowledge of him being the older brother that I never had?

"I don't know." It was the truth, and it sickened me to the core that I found myself unable to trust Hachiman, after all that he's done for me. All it took was for me to think for a bit and question everything, even the actions done by one of the few people who cared about my wellbeing. "I... I think I pulled a Blake."

"You did." Jaune didn't mince words. Not anymore, after what he had to go through during the fall of Beacon. In retrospect, it was an idiotic move to just shuttle him away without even giving him the chance to fight with me. After all, he was about as skilled as me, and by running off to fight Cinder Fall alone, it meant that I haven't had much trust in him as I assured him. Perhaps it was once of the many reasons as to why we're stuck in this sort of cold war with one another. Why it became infinitely easier for him to speak up on what he perceives as mistakes on my part. And worst of all, he'd be right. "And even though it makes it a little easier to deal with now that you know, it still doesn't solve the fact that we have no idea on what to do the moment we see him."

My gaze turns towards him, and Jaune gives me a brittle smile. "Come on, Pyr. He's the main reason why I'm who I am today." He chuckles, gazing down towards his hands, roughed and callused to an extent that you could not believe that he had just started Huntsman training a year before. "All of what I do, I owe it to him. Instead of just expelling me from Beacon, he trained me. Gave me ways to fight back. Allowed me to stand on the same level as you. How could you think that I just threw it all away the moment that I heard he took Ruby hostage? That he became a fugitive being hunted by Atlas? That he'd go to Mistral and start a criminal empire, of all things?"

There were tears in Jaune's eyes, even as he curled up into a ball and gazed out the window of the cabin. "How do I even muster the will to fight against the one who made me who I am today? See if you can give me an answer, Pyrrha."

I couldn't. Jaune knew that as well. All that we could do was to curl ourselves up into a ball and stare onto the surrounding landscape to hide the dread that we felt at our very souls. All this due to a relatively simple question.

If... If Hachiman was as bad as Atlas made him out to be, would we stand with him, or against him?

[ _Aftermath_ ]

 _"Greatest big sister, out."_

The hologram disappears as I shut off the device, hiding the sand-ridden envelope back into my pockets. Jaune stared at me in slight worry out of the corner of his eye, yet I ignored him as I took a deep breath before knocking on the door to my home. Once, twice, thrice the sound echoed throughout the house's interior, and a hole formed in my gut while I waited for someone to answer the door. When the hinges swung open and I found my mother's haggard face peeking out from behind the door, I immediately knew that something was wrong.

"Ah, hello dear. And you too, uh... Jaune." She spoke with good cheer, casually opening the door and letting us through with a wave of her arm. Jaune shuffled on through, a sheepish smile on his face as he apologized for butting in, and my mother spent a few seconds humoring him before sending him off towards the living room. It didn't take long for my mother's smile to crack and for her to turn towards me, grabbing me in a hug as I blankly returned the gesture.

"I-I'm sorry, dear..." Her voice cracked. "I swear that he was just here a few moments ago, b-but he left. H-He left the ring, saying that he didn't deserve it."

"Mom..." My voice lowers down into a whisper as I strengthen my hug, the flash of fear that lingered on the train ride crossing into my voice. "Who was it?"

"You should know who it is."

Exactly. That was what I was worried about.

I pulled away from the hug, meeting my mother's gaze as I gave her the best smile that I could muster for the current situation. "Don't worry, mom", I promised her, "I'll get him back and make him apologize to you. Make sure of it."

"Pyrrha..."

"Jaune, let's go." I barked, causing him to meet my gaze as his grip tightened around his rapier and shield. He raised an eyebrow in my direction, and I replied with a grim nod. His armor clanked as he began marching over towards us, and I turned towards my mother one last time before hugging her once more. "I swear I'll get him back, mom. Promise."

I felt a hand on my head, ruffling my hair as I pull back and nod towards Jaune. "See you later, mom."

"Later, dear."

We began to sprint less than a second later after my mother shuts the door closed. Jaune turns towards me with a question, and I quickly answered him. "Hachiman went somewhere. Judging how my mom reacted, whatever he's doing... it isn't anything good."

"Obviously." He drawled with a put-upon sigh, pulling out his scroll and motioning it towards my gaze. I nodded, pulling up my own and splitting up at the next junction, Jaune barreling onto the main square while I began my sprint to circle around Argus' walls. It didn't take a few seconds for my scroll to start ringing and for me to answer the line. Jaune's face was on the other end, face set into a grim line, and I upped my pace. Hachiman just _had_ to make things difficult for everyone.

 _"Checking in."_ Jaune's voice echoed from the scroll. _"You found him yet, Pyr?"_

"No." I reported back, quickening my pace even further as I stop just before the walls of Argus and clear it with one single bound. The guards rear back in surprise, but I had already tossed them my Beacon ID while I situated myself on one of the highest vantage points along the walls of Argus. Scanning the area didn't take long, and it was easy to find a moving gray blob in the green cliffs that surrounded Argus. What the problem was however, was the determined gait that they had while moving towards the edge of the cliff.

My gaze turns toward the scroll, seeing Jaune's worried look. "He's by the cliffs", I said, already shooting off towards Hachiman's position as he grew ever closer towards the edge. "I... don't know what he's doing, but it's best if we can make him stand down for a while."

 _"Got it."_ Jaune replied, shutting off the connection on his end while my feet pounded against the dirt track leading towards the cliffs. If anything else, I was glad that I was wearing sneakers compared to heels. It made me run a little bit faster, and made me tackle Hachiman to the side before he could do whatever he was supposed to do.

I managed to ignore the instinct to retch as Hachiman's fist buried itself and my diaphragm, but I was still able to let out a gasp of air as he tried to cover my senses with the gray cloak that he currently had on him. My Semblance reaches out, snagging whatever metallic objects he might have on him, and a part of my mind let out a sigh of relief as I found a belt buckle somewhere around his waist and used it to reel him in.

He let out a grunt of surprise, and I used that instant to chuck off his cloak and restore my vision on him, only to find an elbow headed towards my thigh. Another burst of Semblance makes his fist clang against my greaves, yet my right leg was rendered numb for an instant by the force of the blow, and I found myself staggering a step back while Hachiman moved in to disable me.

This time, his fist clanged against Akouo, my ears ringing from the sound of the blow while I stagger back once more and send my shield flying with a flicker of my Semblance. Hachiman ducks and spirals low, holding the handle of a blade in a reverse guard, and my gut falls as I saw the minute flexing of his fingers as they pulled against the handguard.

A black Dust blade slams against Milo's edge, the tip of the newly-formed weapon nary an inch away from my heel as Hachiman steps closer to try and unbalance me. A punch gets blocked by Milo's pommel, but the grinding of metal makes me grit my teeth in frustration as I recall Akouo back to gain some space. It looks like Milo wasn't shifting into anything else soon.

In any case, Hachiman was forced to withdraw, Akouo narrowly clipping his shoulder as he takes a few paces back and eyes me with a wary look. My shield returns back to my off-hand, and I let out a short breath of both relief and satisfaction by the fact that I was able to stall him for a minute. But it wasn't enough.

"Why?" I asked, finding myself staring into a bitter smile while my own eyes narrow into slits. "You had every option on your fingertips. Why resort to all of this? Is revenge not good enough for you? Arthur Watts is dead. Jaune and I are safe. Torchwick and Neo are doing well for themselves. You can rest."

"There's never rest." He sullenly replied, readying his own Dust blade once more and holding it back, gripping it with unnatural ease along with the haunting glow of his silver and red eyes. "And do you really think that I have a place to return after all that I did?"

"Atlas-"

"-Heaped the blame on me, yes. But I allowed the attack on Vale to go on without notice. I am still guilty of not contacting the proper authorities when I had ample evidence by my fingertips." His eyes smouldered back into the color of ash, still keeping his focus on me. "I allowed you to die by Cinder Fall's hand due to my inaction. The attack on Vale and Beacon could be blamed onto me. I took my own cousin and half-sister hostage in order to escape from authorities. I spat on your family's generosity in regards to... to her death. Why do you think that I could still be saved?"

A rapier sailed through the air, batted away by a casual swing of Hachiman's Dust blade just as Jaune crashes his shield into our mentor's chest. Hachiman flied back for a few feet as Jaune picks up Schnellenteich from the loose ground and gets rid of the dirt with a single swing. Once the dust settled, I was at Jaune's side with Milo and Akouo ready, showing him Milo's broken pommel, and he nods just as we turn our attention back towards our mentor, stepping out of the impromptu crater with a dispassionate expression on his face.

He flicked off a few crumbs of dirt off his clothing, drawing his gun from his left leg and keeping it low to the ground. His Dust blade crackled in his right, black edge just as sharp as it had been before, and sixteen swords shimmered into existence around him, guardless blades of Ash formed from the depths of his soul acting as sentinels to keep him safe.

I shared a look with Jaune. We knew what needed to be done.

"Final lesson." Hachiman's voice echoed throughout the pock-marked bluff, voice as soft-spoken yet as crisp as the first time that we had met him, up on that stage on Beacon oh so many months ago. "A good teacher never shows his students everything that he has. Remember that when you're teaching your own classes of brats."

"Sounds like you're saying goodbye." Jaune snorts, eyes focused on the swords orbiting our former mentor. "Can't help but assume that you don't want us anymore."

"No it isn't. You're the best idiots that I could've trained. Must be the reason as to why you're willing to fight me over this." Hachiman closed his eyes and released a shuddering breath. When he opened them, they were as cool as ice once more. "So I'll say this once and only once: Let. Me. Die."

"You saved us countless times, Professor." I replied back, a ghost of a smile on my lips. "I think it's about time that we did the same."

"So be it, then."

The two of charged at our former mentor, who in turn arranged his cloak of blades in a phalanx. There was no preamble, and definitely no panache. Only the teachings of our former mentor to guide us towards the path to victory.

[ _Aftermath_ ]

A thrust is turned by a flawless parry, only managing to avoid the swift follow-up by slamming Akouo into the blade of Aura that attempted to cut Jaune down. He moved, sweeping low with his shield and rearing back for another strike with his rapier, but our mentor had already fallen back and slammed his swords into the ground in front of him, all but making an impenetrable blockade.

I surged forward, Akouo up to block my chest, and two blades of Aura surged forth from the impromptu Barricade to intercept. One clanged against my shield, the force of the blow stopping me in my tracks, and the other sword whizzed to the side of my head and buried an inch deep inside Jaune's own shield. I threw Milo towards our former mentor, the force blasting off a few loose pieces of dirt, and a blade of Aura parried to the side just as the rest of the blockade disappeared and our former mentor raised his gun.

Jaune tanked the blow, his Semblance flaring and boosting his Aura so that the projectile stopped cold an inch before his face. I called Milo back point-first, only for Hachiman to twist to the side and avoid the blow, an errant twitch of his finger making me aware of the blade aimed at my back. A quick shift in my Semblance lead the two blades clashing together in a stalemate, and Jaune roared on ahead with a measured thrust of Schnellenteich, air twisting around the tip as our former mentor ducked and aimed his Dust blade to cut through the inside of Jaune's thigh. Akouo prevented the strike, forcing Hachiman to roll sideways and put up another barricade of swords to block Akouo from reaching his defenses.

Once more, stalemate. It should've been a proud moment for the both of us that we were stalling Hachiman with our honed skills, but it wasn't our objective. Or at the very least, it wasn't _my_ objective. I wanted to save him, to prevent him from taking his own life. But how to do it when your opponent is prepared to pull out all the stops in order to stop you? I can't find a way. At the very least, not in the way that I would've liked.

My mind reaches out, both to my memories and to any nearby bits of metal that I can control with my Semblance, and allowed myself to dig in deep. Somewhere, I can hear Jaune screaming at me to move while he was beset by blades on all sides, slowly digging into his own Aura bit-by-bit even with his Semblance. But I needed a way to turn the tide. To make sure that he would eschew all thoughts of whatever he was trying to accomplish without so much as batting an eye.

Back to the months of lacking sleep, back to the days of sifting through every bit of secondhand information to gain a little bit more knowledge of the fledgling criminal empire that Torchwick built up with Hachiman's help. Back to the times wherein I fervently tried to defend his honor, that for all of his actions, there was some kind of reason that I wasn't able to see. Back to the time where I was all but dead on two feet, an arrow lodged in my heel and another aimed at my heart, only for my savior to come with the force of a miracle and exact revenge upon whoever had wronged me. Back to the time where... Where...

"Pyrrha, whatever you're doing, make it work!" Jaune gritted out, down onto one knee as I gazed in surprise at the dome of white Aura around the two of us. I snapped out of it an instant later however, no less due to the pinprick of gray trying to make their way inside the dome, and I release a shuddering breath as I began taking a single step outside the dome.

Jaune's hand immediately grabbed my shoulder. "Pyr, what the hell are you doing?"

"The only thing that Hachiman would never do." I answered in turn, breaking Jaune's grip before he can even move from his spot and stepping outside of the dkme made out of his Aura. In an instant, the gray blades surrounding the dome shifted their attention towards me and surged forward, wisps of gray light trailing behind them as they sped off towards my vital areas. This time however, I didn't move. Despite the fact that muscle memory tried to reestablish its hold, to try and minimize the damage that I would take I did nothing. I could barely even hear Jaune's scream even as I felt pinpricks all over my body.

I wasn't a bleeding mess on the ground. It was all that I ever needed to know. "Pyr-!"

Once more, I began moving towards Hachiman with a slow gait, and his eyes narrow even further as the blades around him dissipate, aiming his gun towards my head. From what I had heard about it, Hachiman could temporarily someone's wound from regenerating by infusing his Aura into the bullet, thus forcing his opponent's Aura to slowly degrade the bullet before the wound could heal, greatly increasing his maiming potential and his ability to counter other Hunters. All he would need is one shot... and at this distance, I can't exactly move or be perceptive enough to see the bullet as it flies out of the barrel. The moment that Hachiman cocks the hammer of his gun, I take another step forward.

My right ear rings, my balance faltering for an instant as the blast of the shockwave was enough to temporarily incapacitate my sense of balance. I soldiered on however, taking two more steps even as Hachiman's eyes flashed from gray to an unsettling silver, his body all but flickering forward as he swung his Dust blade toqards my neck.

All instincts screamed for my body to move. Once more, I ignored Jaune's screams and placed it towards the back of my mind, letting the strike pass through without so much as twitching an errant muscle...

... I could feel a thin trickle of blood trailing down the side of my neck. But other than that, I felt fine.

Silver eyes scrambled back into their usual gray, widening ever-so slightly at the sight of my smile, and the Dust blade by my throat dissipates as Hachiman collapses forward. I catch him, stumbling backward at his weight, but held him close nonetheless, keeping my grip tight as I glance back towards Jaune and saw him scampering towards the two of us. "I... I... I just..."

"It's fine. It's alright." I reply, closing my eyes as I felt a warm stain spreading along my shoulder. It wasn't blood. "Let it out. We're here with you."

"I don't deserve Tyre." He whispered under his breath, hitching once as his sobs soon filled the quiet afternoon air. "I don't deserve you. Deserve Jaune. Deserve Qrow. Deserve... all of _this._ "

"You do." I snap back, blinking at what I said before changing the tone of my voice. "Tell us what's wrong, and we can try to fix it. We'll make it so that you can look back on this with a smile on your face and say that you deserve this. That for all of the things that you've done, that for all of the things that has happened, you can still move forward... just like the rest of us."

 _"I can't come back home."_ Hachiman gritted out, and I couldn't help but let out a sigh as I hugged him closer.

"Hachiman, you're already with us. What else could you want?" I asked, and Hachiman freezes up as he brings a hand to the top of my head. A thin smile forms on my face as he begins ruffling my hair. He pulls back, staring at me with a slight smile on his face before morphing back into his previous neutral expression.

"Pyrrha... I tried to kill you."

"And I know that you'd never do such a thing. Not after what happened the last time." I replied back, already glancing behind him to see Jaune rearing up a blow. "And you know that we're going to get you for that anyway."

Jaune knocked him out with one punch. I couldn't help but blink at the sight, even as Jaune's Semblance powered down and he had to shake off a hand while wincing at the pain. That... was a thing. Looking at Hachiman now and the destruction that our 'fight' caused, it was hard to actually see him as having almost no Aura. And for everything to be decided with just a simple tap on the head is just... anticlimactic. Especially for someone as prepared as Hachiman normally was.

My gaze turns towards Jaune, who in turn gave me a sheepish smile in return. I can tell that catharsis was coursing through his veins.

"Sorry."

He didn't sound too sorry about it. I could only sigh and motion towards our former mentor's unconscious body with a vague expression of annoyance.

"Let's get him back."

* * *

 **AN: Done. I don't need to tell you what happens next, but do refer to last part of Chapter 4 to see the results. Or at the very least, tentative ones. This might feel like a cop-out (and I have the feeling that most of you would agree), and I... agree. But that's kind of the point. This shows the aftermath of Hachiman's actions that were mostly skipped over in Ch. 4, showing the effects that he has on people given that he usually has a more self-centered mindset. Let me know if I missed out on anything important. Weird... I should be having so much more written here, but I forgot what to put. Oh well.**


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